There has been a surge of flu cases in recent weeks
Wigton Moor Primary School has introduced measures to prevent the spread of flu(Image: Google Maps)
A school in Leeds has banned singing, introduced sanitation stations and postponed after-school clubs as it attempts to curb the spread of flu.
The number of cases across England has surged in recent weeks, with NHS leaders warning of an “unprecedented wave” of a new flu variant, known as H3N2, during the winter months. The desperate situation has led one primary school headteacher to take extraordinary measures to try and limit the number of pupils and staff contracting the flu.
Elaine Brown, headteacher of Wigton Moor Primary School, said one in six children had been sent home or were off sick last week. Mrs Brown said it was the “worst year” of sickness she had seen in 14 years of teaching at the Leeds school.
“We’ve had assemblies, but we’ve not sung in assemblies because again, we know that that’s something that spreads it quite a lot,” Mrs Bown told the BBC. “We are rehearsing for nativities at the moment and Christmas performances and we know from Covid that singing in schools is one of the worst spreaders. But we are also trying hard not to cancel Christmas. We do not want to do that, so we are trying to make it as non-infectious as we can manage.”
Mrs Brown said 70 children were off sick on Monday, December 1. One class even saw almost every child off sick on one day last week.
As well as singing, after-school clubs have also been postponed. Mrs Brown said this was to limit the transmission between staff and multiple year groups, who all attend different clubs. She said keeping the school open and providing an education is “obviously our priority”.
Professor Julian Redhead, NHS national medical director for urgent and emergency care, said flu cases are now “incredibly high” and that the latest figures “confirm our deepest concerns: the health service is bracing for an unprecedented flu wave this winter”.
The figures show an average of 1,717 flu patients were in beds in England each day in the week to November 30. This was 56 per cent higher than the same period the year before, leading NHS leaders to warn people to get their flu jabs ahead of a difficult winter.
Professor Redhead said: “The NHS has prepared earlier for winter than ever before, but despite that we know that ballooning flu cases coinciding with strikes may stretch our staff close to breaking point in the coming weeks. With just a couple of weeks left to ensure maximum immunity from flu for Christmas Day, I urge anyone eligible to come forward to get their jab.”
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Separate figures from the UK Health Security Agency show the rate of hospital admissions for flu stood at 7.8 per 100,000 people, up sharply from 4.8 the previous week and almost double the rate at this point last year (4.4). Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of The King’s Fund health think tank, said: “The NHS is entering the most challenging period of the year with pressures hitting the health and care service from all directions. Rising flu waves and industrial action are all adding strain to a system which is already struggling to deliver timely care for patients.
“The flu season started unusually early this year and is yet to peak, so it is too soon to know how long this surge will be sustained for.”
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