PANIC: Many private schools in the Eastern Province have made it mandatory for their students to wear face masks to keep the deadly H1N1 virus at bay. (AN photo by Boutrous Ayad)

ALKHOBAR: Reports of 17 suspected cases of swine flu in a government school in Meleja village in the Al-Nariya region of the Eastern Province has sent shockwaves among both teachers and parents.

The area located about 200 km from Dammam near Hafr Al-Batin is known for its traditional Bedouin market every Thursday.

In a statement on Monday, the Ministry of Health admitted that there were 17 suspected cases of swine flu in Meleja village. The report was splashed on the front pages of Arabic newspapers and has led to intense discussions among parents and teachers about the efficacy of continuing schools.

“We are naturally very concerned,” said Indian national Shuja Mohammed Sheriff, whose children study at the International Indian School, Dammam (IISD). “The best thing under the circumstances would be to shut schools until after the completion of Haj,” he said.

The committees in charge of running international schools said they were in constant communication with the Ministry of Education. “We are monitoring the situation every day. We have not had any suspected cases of swine flu at our school. Since we started late, we are running behind in completing our syllabus. We have to take everything into account,” said IISD Managing Committee Chairman Asghar Khan.

Some of the parents felt the health of children should be given priority over everything else. “There is no harm in closing the schools until such time we have the vaccination. Let there be vacation till after Haj. The sky will not fall,” said Seema Imran, a Pakistani. “The schools are going to break for Haj holidays in the third week of November. They might as well close now and avoid the possibility of any outbreak. It is better to be safe than sorry.”

While international schools will break for Haj holidays in the third week of November, government schools will break for a three-week Haj holiday from Nov. 11. “A lot of Saudis feel it would be wise to close schools now to avoid any epidemic,” admitted Abdul Aziz Fakki.

Teachers at almost all international schools said they were taking all precautions and were regularly monitoring children’s health. “Every two days we make our students undergo medical checkups on the school premises,” said Talat Nasreen at one private school in Alkhobar. “However, all this has led to severe distraction. We can barely concentrate on teaching. There is total confusion. Just one sneeze from one child sends everybody into a state of panic,” she admitted. “While we are trying our best to keep our concerns hidden from the students, we can see their worries.” Habibullah Mazhar, who teaches at an international school, felt parents were not being cooperative. “Fifty percent of the kids are coming to school without the mandatory anti-bacterial hand wash solution. They say it should be provided by the school.”

Parents say all such things should be made available on the school premises. “They charge us a fortune in tuition fees so why can’t they provide such a basic thing?” asked Naureen Inayat, a mother of two. “The Ministry of Health should issue a diktat to all schools to provide handwash solutions in adequate supply.”

Meanwhile, in many schools, children are being made to wear masks. However, this has led to many complaints from the parents. “While we can understand the importance of wearing such masks, my children have complained of breathing problems after they put them on,” said Hussam Al-Fadl, a business executive. “They are scared of wearing masks and have refused to go to school. I don’t know what to do. I am confused.”Administrators at local hospitals have refused to confirm or deny cases of swine flu. They have instead asked the media to direct their questions to the Ministry of Health in Riyadh.