An overwhelming majority of parents disapprove of the offer of swine flu vaccinations for their children studying at various international community schools here. Based on instructions from the Ministry of Health, the International Indian School, Riyadh (IISR), and the Pakistan International School, Riyadh (PISR), which together have an enrollment of around 19,000 students, conducted a survey to determine if parents would approve or disapprove of swine flu vaccine being administered to their children. Ahmed Imthias, IISR managing committee chairman, said that in a survey that ended last week, 98 percent of parents said that they would not consent to having their children inoculated with the anti-H1N1 vaccine. Imthias said the school sent a circular to gauge the opinion of parents and found that the parents of only 200 students, which is only two percent of the school's 10,000 students, expressed their willingness to have their children receive a swine flu vaccination. The school has yet to notify the Health Ministry about the poor response, he said, adding that during the survey parents raised several questions with regards to the safety of the swine flu vaccine. He said that parents were concerned after reading media reports and receiving e-mail that highlighted the side effects of the new swine flu vaccine. Imthias explained that the school has been engaged in improving the personal hygiene of students as part of precautionary measures through the installation of liquid soap dispensers and sanitizers in school bathrooms. Moreover, parents have been instructed not to send their children to school if they have any flu-like symptoms, such as a cough, fever or runny nose. If students come to school with flu-like symptoms, teachers have been advised to take them to an isolation room to have their temperature checked, he said. “Parents are then contacted and asked to take the children from school and not to allow them to return until they have fully recovered, he explained. “About 10 students, who arrive at school with flu-like symptoms are sent home on a daily basis,” Imthias said. Muhammad Asad, chairman of the PISR Board of Directors, said that the majority of parents have expressed their unwillingness to have their children receive a swine flu vaccination. “Our survey on the swine flu vaccination is still ongoing. But the response that the school has received so far indicates that a majority of parents disapprove of the swine flu vaccination for their children,” he said. Other international community schools with comparatively small numbers of students said they are taking all possible precautionary measures to safeguard students from any communicable disease. Muhammad Farouq, principal of the Sri Lankan International School, Riyadh (SLISR), said the school has organized an awareness program among students and teachers on swine flu and has educated them about H1N1 symptoms. “The school also provides face masks to students to wear in the classroom,” he said. However, he said, SLISR has not received any instructions from the Health Ministry on the proposed swine flu vaccination program. Similarly, the Bangladesh International School, Riyadh, (BISR-English Section), has received no instructions from the Health Ministry. The school will do everything possible to safeguard students from communicable diseases, Zainul Abideen, secretary at the BISR-ES, said, adding that as per the instructions of the Education Ministry, a minimum distance of one meter between students has been created in the classroom seating arrangement.
