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Picture courtesy- Bloemfontein courant
Nonjabulo Ngema
Free State- The Department of health forced schools to shut doors after close to a hundred learners were infected with influenza B and the human Rhinovirus. The Grade R to 5 classes are said to be hardest hit, with six pupils of 96 having tested positive for the viruses being and are reported to have been hospitalised.
The two schools are Phillippolis Primary and Bergmanhoogte school located in Xhariep District. Classes for both schools have been suspended from 7 March to 13, to allow learners to quarantine while receiving medical attention from home. The classes will be fumigated before they return back to school.
The Free State education Department spokesperson Howard Ndaba says “the department rejects the rumors that the outbreak is a results of food poisoning emanating from school nutrition meals as a pure conjecture devoid of any facts. The investigation by Department of Health professionals could not establish the cause of the outbreak yet.”
The influenza B virus in fact causes respiratory diseases that affects the throat, nose, and occasionally the lungs. Symptoms that effect the stomach include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and pain in the abdomen. Like the children in Phillippolis, children infected with influenza B are likely to have stomach problems. The virus was easily transmitted by handshakes, sneeze, and coughs.
The Department of Health advise people to wash their hands with soap and water, avoid touching your face with unwashed hands, cover your mouth and nose while sneezing or coughing, and routinely disinfect surfaces and items to lower the chance of contracting and transmitting the rhinovirus
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