The Puducherry government has announced a week’s holiday for students of Class 1 to 8 across schools in Puducherry and Karaikal amid a rise in fever cases in the past few weeks. The Health Department in Puducherry had issued a circular to government-run and private schools in Puducherry and Karaikal regions, saying that there is an increase in the number of children who are complaining of fever, cough and cold.
In view of the same, a holiday has been declared for the students who are studying in lower kindergarten, upper kindergarten and students of Classes 1 to 8 from September 17 to September 25. Students of Class 9 and 10 will be attending school as usual.
“It has been noticed that in the past 10 days, there is atleast a 50% spike in fever cases among children attending various health institutions in Puducherry,” the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services had said in the letter sent to the director of the School Education. “As a result, there is a substantive increase in the number of children visiting outpatient departments in various hospitals and the number of inpatients in the Rajiv Gandhi Government Women and Children Hospital in Puducherry," the letter added, recommending holidays for a ‘short period’ to reduce the spread of infection.
"This flu illness spreads when children inhale droplets from infected persons or when they come into direct contact with mucus from patients. Hence, the spread is very high among children attending schools. In these circumstances, the Health Department requested the government to close down schools temporarily," the letter further read.
This announcement came after Chief Minister N Rangasamy and Education Minister A Namassivayam approved a health department recommendation to declare holidays as a precautionary measure. Over the past 10 days, there has been an increase of a flu-like fever among students. Most of the children have complained of suffering from high fever, cough and cold. The holiday has now been issued for students in private and government schools, as well as those who are studying in LKG and UKG classes.
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