Protecting Pupils from Ebola Virus Disease

A survey conducted by The PUNCH online to find out whether it was safe for primary and secondary schools in the country to resume on September 22 when the Ebola Virus Disease has not been totally resolved revealed 18 per cent of the voters saying it is safe, while 82 per cent of the voters said it wasn’t.

This simply shows that many parents are not in agreement with the resumption of primary and secondary schools on the said date, despite the health ministry saying there’s currently no confirmed new case of Ebola in Nigeria, as it has been contained.

I spoke to a mom who is a banker and she said she and her colleagues had made up their minds not to allow their children to resume on September 22 for fear of Ebola.

A particular said, “I just received a mail confirming that schools would re-open on September 22, 2014. After reading it, I felt compelled to put on paper my thoughts since the announcement of same by the Federal Government.

“One thing that struck me is that I am yet to receive information about confirmed nationwide measures that have been put in place to ensure the safety of our children from the Ebola virus upon resumption at school in two weeks.

“It is understandable that we want our children educated, but we need to be reminded that we can only educate the healthy and living. How do we tell them not to play with their friends as they are used to? Or not to show concern if one of them gets hurt and is bleeding?

“How can we really be sure that our three to 16-year-olds would be safe from Ebola in a place where we cannot control who they come in contact with; a place where they share toilets, eat and play with others? How many infrared thermometers have been distributed across these schools in Nigeria?”

This and many other issues were raised by this mom.

Solutions

I will like to reassure parents that if all the preventive measures are put in place by the schools, we will not have a single case of Ebola among the pupils when the schools resume.

There are documented cases from Kikwit, Democratic Republic of Congo, of an Ebola outbreak in a village that had the custom of children never touching a sick adult. Even children who live in small, one-room huts with parents who died from Ebola did not get infected.

The U.S. embassy also made a press release at the beginning of the Ebola epidemic that “There’s no medical reason to stop flights, close borders, restrict travel or close embassies, businesses or schools.” It called on residents of affected countries to always practice good hand washing techniques.

The fight against Ebola needs collective and concerted efforts by all: government, health workers, parents, care givers, school owners, teachers, organisations and the public.

Government should provide potable water for private and public schools, while those in the villages may be assisted with water storage tanks. Soap should also be provided for schools.

There should also be sensitisation exercise on the Ebola virus for principals and head teachers of public primary and secondary schools, and for proprietors of private schools.

Health workers should volunteer to assist the schools in their localities through health education on prevention of epidemic.

The basic universal precaution of frequently washing hands in the fight against diseases is important for nannies and care givers in order to prevent spread of infections.

Parents and school teachers are to teach the pupils to properly wash their hands as often as possible. Messages should be sent to the parents on the precautionary steps to take to ensure the safety of their children.

Private organisations must donate soaps, sanitisers, hand gloves and non contact infrared thermometers, hand dryers, disposable tissues/towels, etc. to schools. On their part, pupils should avoid putting hands in their mouths and avoid shaking or having body contact with sick pupils.

They must wash their hands regularly, since they are prone to putting their hands into their mouths or rubbing their eyes.

Schools must send teachers on training on how to prevent and manage Ebola Virus Disease. These teachers would, in turn, train other teachers on the same. They should organise staff seminars and parents’ forum so as to educate parents on what they need to do to complement the efforts of the schools.

Provision of hand sanitisers can come in handy, especially when one doesn’t have access to water. Everyone would have to wash their hands before entering the school, and there would be regular hand washing and use of hand sanitisers because it would be difficult controlling children from touching one another.

Schools should also delegate people to take the temperature of everyone entering their premises through non contact thermometers. Those with high fevers should be put aside for medical attention.

Schools should provides sickbays where children who developed fever in school will be isolated and nursed before the parents will arrive for onward transfer to the hospital.

Such children will have a questionnaire on risk of Ebola Virus disease administered and exempted from school to allow for full recovery.

A medical report will be required on resumption from sick leave of such children.