Swine flu: EU committee sees no need for pre-emptive school closures

The EU Health Security Committee has declared that there is currently no need for pre-emptive mass school closures because of H1N1 swine flu. However, member states should close schools reactively upon infection being found among students.

"The benefit of such an approach clearly depends on timely action. Furthermore, to ensure that school closures are efficient, they should be accompanied by other measures, in particular to ensure that alternative gatherings of children do not happen," the committee said.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has produced scientific advice on school closures which can be found at:

http://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/health_content/phdev/090720_ph.aspx

The committee also issued a set of options for situations where a traveller falls ill before or during travel.

"As an increasing number of individuals may develop symptoms just before planned travel or while travelling, the EU Member States may have to face the need to handle and manage cases among travellers. In this context, the overriding public health recommendation to symptomatic individuals remains to delay travel and stay at home," the committee said.

"However, this public health recommendation in the pandemic situation should not lead to restriction of movement at the EU borders and travel restrictions between EU Member States."