The Taipei City Government yesterday said it was negligent in failing to notify eight foreign schools in Taipei of guidelines to prevent outbreaks of the A(H1N1) influenza, also known as swine flu. City officials promised to send notifications to the schools immediately.
Taipei City’s Department of Education sent copies of the Ministry of Education’s “325” policy to municipal schools before the new school year began on Monday, but was unaware that it had left out the foreign schools until five students at the Taipei European School were yesterday found to have contracted the flu.
Department Chief Secretary Lin Hsin-yao (林信耀) said the foreign schools had been informed on June 8 about guidelines to suspend classes to prevent swine flu outbreaks, but the department had failed to send updated information to the schools because of a personnel reshuffle.
“Besides, foreign schools in Taipei run their affairs more independently, and we do not have frequent contact with them. Still, we were negligent,” he said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) yesterday lashed out at the department and demanded that it contact the foreign schools immediately.
Lin said the department sent the guidelines to the Taipei European School yesterday morning after learning about the five students who contracted the virus, and sent notifications to the other foreign schools later in the day.
The “325” policy suggests that schools suspend a class for up to five days if more than two students in the class are diagnosed with flu within three days of each other.
Lin said seven foreign schools in Taipei fall under the jurisdiction of the city government: Taipei European School, Taipei Japanese School, Taipei Korean School, Dominican International School, Morrison Academy Bethany Campus, Grace Christian Academy and Taipei Adventist American School.
Taipei City Health Department Commissioner Allen Chiu (邱文祥) said the city government would also include the Taipei American School in its notification list, even though the school fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education.
He added that the “325” policy was not compulsory.
In related news, the National Teachers Association (NTA) yesterday urged the government to include faculty members of all elementary and junior high schools in the priority list for vaccination.
“Without vaccination, if teachers are infected [with the influenza], they may infect a great number of students,” NTA communications director Lo Te-shui (羅德水) said.
The priority list publicized by the Department of Health last week said vaccines would be given to flooding victims, medical personnel, pregnant women, children aged one to six and students in elementary and junior high schools.
Teachers and school administrators were not on the list.
In response, the Ministry of Education said it would relay the NTA’s suggestion to the Central Epidemic Command Center.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG
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