Classes empty due to increasing influenza cases

ISTANBUL

The number of pupils in classrooms has nosedived due to the influenza virus hitting children who are vulnerable to this type of virus, said experts.

After the pandemic period, children were hit by the flu, which came earlier and stronger than expected this year. High fever in children who caught the flu after three years can last up to 20 days.

“As we have spent three years without encountering these viruses, children especially have become more vulnerable to diseases. We have not seen these viruses for three years as COVID was a quite dominant virus,” stated Ateş Kara, a member of Hacettepe University Medical Faculty.

Isolation conditions such as staying at home and wearing masks during the pandemic period did not allow children to become immune to other viruses, Kara noted.

Immunity to these viruses for both adults and children lasts from six months to a year, he added.

Reminding that influenza cases normally start in December, Kara noted that this virus not only started in November, but also progressed very quickly.

“Under normal circumstances, for example, the virus is observed in one out of 100 people around you. Then it increases to two and three. Then it gradually spreads,” he said.

“This year it started by suddenly appearing in eight out of 100 people. Children who have not developed immunity are more affected by the virus. Fever lasting for 10-14 days or even up to 20 days can be seen in children.”

Scientists in the U.S. define this situation as a triple epidemic which consists of influenza, RSV and coronavirus, he added.

Providing information on measures to prevent the spread of the disease, Kara noted that those who are at risk of the disease and show the slightest symptoms should wear masks.

Students should be taken outside during breaktime in schools, and classrooms should be ventilated, Kara added.

This virus, which is spreading rapidly especially among children and whose effects last for a long time, also disrupt the education of children, while many teachers stated that they continue education with few students in their classrooms.

“Sickness among children is currently on the agenda of all schools in Türkiye. The number of students in the 21-person class decreased to seven before the mid-term break,” stated Şahin Çevik, a teacher.

“When we took off the mask we used during the pandemic period, we came face to face with diseases. We were fed up with coronavirus and immediately stopped taking measures. As far as I can see, now people have started wearing masks again,” Çevik added.

“Usually, two or three students are absent in the class every day. Children are constantly sick. Every day someone has a fever or is vomiting,” explained Banu Durak, a teacher.