Influenza A Outbreak Among Penang Students Forces School to Temporarily Close

Have any of you been experiencing any sniffling lately? Maybe you’re coming down with a cold, suffering from a stuffy nose? Then you may want to go and get yourself checked for Influenza A, as it is reported that cases of the disease have increased this year, according to The Star. 

But what some schools didn’t expect was for the disease to spread rapidly among young children, leading to a school closure in Butterworth, according to Sin Chew Daily. 

Source: facebook

The occurrence was found to have taken place in SRJK (C) Li Hwa in Butterworth, Penang, with two Primary Two classes affected. Each class contained about 36 students. 

Several of the students in the class have already reported symptoms of Influenza A and due to the highly virulent nature of the disease, affected classes have been ordered to close until 20th January 2020.

It is also reported that health officials from the Ministry of Health will be sent to the school to conduct disinfection procedures. The school made an emergency announcement through Facebook to ensure that parents of the affected classes will be notified of the closure. 

Source: foursquare

For those of you who suspect that you may have contracted Influenza A, please wear a mask and he sure to avoid large crowds to prevent further infection to the public. Drink enough water to keep your throat moist, and get plenty of rest. 

We hope that the affected students will be able to recover soon! 

Also read: Wuhan Viral Outbreak: A 3yo Girl in Singapore is Suspected to Be Infected with The Flu-Like Virus