The Ministry of Education said yesterday that it hopes to work through schools to raise public knowledge about bird flu.
According to the results of a recent survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) from Oct. 9 to Oct. 10, the ministry discovered that most people are ignorant of basic measures to avoid bird flu, such as staying away from birds or frequently washing hands.
Minister of Education Tu Cheng-sheng (
Such an outbreak is not currently likely, since the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu has so far only passed from birds to humans, and not between humans. But scientists are concerned that the virus could mutate into a form that can be transmitted easily between people, which they fear could cause a pandemic killing millions worldwide.
Tu also made corrections on prior ministry regulations, saying that although the ministry has encouraged schools to take students' temperatures every day, people mistakenly think that the bird flu has the same high-temperature symptom as SARS.
In fact, people can contract the bird flu even without getting a fever.
"We should not panic," Tu said. "But bird flu education must be thorough and clear." Steve Kuo (
"Schools are the best place to educate people about their health," Kuo said.
Kuo added that since the flu spreads easily in schools due to the number or students in close proximity, children should stay home if they have the flu.
When asked why the CDC has not yet laid down clear regulations for schools to suspend classes in case of possible bird flu, Kuo answered that no clear procedures could be set because there is not enough information on bird flu disease worldwide.
"It is a disease that keeps changing and mutating. We need real-time research and make real-time policy," Kuo said. "I cannot tell you at the moment whether we need to suspend classes if two, four or six students are sick."
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