# 3519
On the day that The Lancet published a study that suggests that closing schools could help slow the spread of a pandemic, we get a statement from a Canadian Medical Officer stating that closing schools is an ineffective way to combat the virus.
It appears that we have a decided difference of opinion.
First the two articles, then I’ll return for some comments.
School Closures May Help Limit Swine Flu Damage, Study Finds
By Naomi Kresge
July 20 (Bloomberg) -- Closing schools during a severe flu pandemic may cut infection rates as much as 40 percent at the peak of the outbreak because of children’s role in spreading the disease, U.K. researchers said.
School closures might be even more effective against swine flu than against seasonal flu, according to a study published today in The Lancet. The research weighed the pros and cons of such a move and stopped short of endorsing it.
“The H1N1 pandemic could become more severe, and the current cautious approach of not necessarily recommending school closure in Europe and North America might need reappraisal in the autumn,” the Imperial College London researchers wrote.
Closing schools ineffective against swine flu: N.B. medical officer
Last Updated: Monday, July 20, 2009
The Department of Health isn't planning for any school closures this fall even as swine flu cases in New Brunswick have spiked in recent weeks.
Dr. Paul Van Buynder, the deputy chief medical officer of health, said in an interview on Monday that it is likely children will catch the swine flu virus when classes resume in September, but shutting down schools wouldn't do much to protect them.
"You're chances of being infected are just as high in the supermarket or the local sports park as they are in the school settings,' Van Buynder said.
"So for that reason, I think we would need special circumstances before we start imposing on the education department to close their schools."
He said it's up to parents to use common sense when children show symptoms of H1N1, such as keeping them home from child care, summer camps and later this fall, from school.
There are a great many societal and economic costs to closing schools, and many officials are loathe to consider it except under the most extreme conditions.
Working parents rely on schools to watch their kids for much of the year during the day, and many low income families benefit from the school lunch program. And of course, when schools are closed during a pandemic, some kids may congregate and spread the virus anyway.
Many parents, however, would take exception to the notion that their kids are `safer in school’ when a pandemic strain of influenza is circulating. Not only does it, in their estimation - endanger their children – it increases the odds of them bringing the virus home to the rest of the family as well.
And if the answers were obvious or clear cut, we’d have no debate. The problem is, we really don’t know which policy is `right’.
Since some communities will attempt to keep schools open during this pandemic, while others may close them, we have an opportunity to perhaps figure this out over the coming months.
Pandemics are learning experiences. And since this probably won’t be the worst, nor the last pandemic we endure, we’d do well to take note of the lessons this one offers us.
Personally, I believe the case for closing schools is a strong one –if they are closed early enough and remain closed until a pandemic wave has passed.
But those are two big `ifs’. And I’m not sure that most communities have the resolve to do either.
But while officials plan and schools debate policy, there are a couple of wildcards here that may be the actual determining factors.
The first is, that parents may simply refuse to send their kids to school.
In fact, we’ve already seen that sort of reaction. No matter how well reasoned or forceful the argument by local officials, if parents fear for the safety of their kids, those arguments will fall on deaf ears.
And second, if teachers or other personnel are absent due to illness or fear of contracting the virus, then the reduced level of staffing may force the closure of schools.
For now, while this pandemic virus is perceived as being mild (and hopefully remains so), there is a strong desire by officials to try to keep it from disrupting our society, and economy, any more than is necessary.
The hope is that we can find a way to `conduct business as usual’.
And ideally, that would be the best thing for society.
But whether we find that to be possible . . . well, that’s one of the many lessons this pandemic will probably teach us.
