Swine Flu - Guidelines

For more information visit : World Health Organization &

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, (Govt. of India)

 General Guidelines:

For individuals who are well:

• Maintain distance of at least 1 metre from any individual with influenza-like symptoms
• Try to avoid close contact with people having respiratory illness.
• Reduce as much as possible the time spent in crowded settings

For individuals with influenza-like symptoms:

• Keep distance from well individuals as much as possible (at least 1 metre)
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.  Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

Proper use of Mask:

• Place mask carefully to cover mouth and nose and tie securely to minimize any gaps between the face and the mask
• Replace masks with a new clean, dry mask as soon as they become damp/humid
• Do not re-use single-use masks: discard single-use masks after each use and dispose of them immediately upon removing.

Broad guidelines for schools / educational institutions

• Schools are advised to avoid any large gathering of students during the course of the day in the school.  This would reduce the possibility of the spread of the infection, if any, to a much larger number of students who would be in close contact with each other in such a gathering.

• It should be made mandatory by the school authorities that all class teachers should begin their class with active screening of each student in the class so as to detect any student who is having symptoms of flu (mild fever with cough/ sore throat with or without body ache, headache, diarrhea and vomiting). If such student is detected, he/she should be referred immediately to the medical facility of the school.  He / She should be further advised to stay at home for 7 days and observe strict discipline of home isolation.  The onus of observance of discipline of isolation henceforth is shifted to the parents and school authorities should accordingly write a letter to the parent.  The parents should also be advised to keep other wards at home, in case they are found to be having flu like symptoms.  There should be constant self-monitoring and if symptoms deteriorates, it should be reported to health authorities immediately.

• Students, teachers and other employees working in schools/educational institutions are advised to continue to stay at home for at least 7 days if they are advised by the doctor to take  Oseltamivir treatment and they should observe home isolation.  There should be constant self-monitoring and if symptoms deteriorates, it should be reported to health authorities, immediately.

• If any student, teachers or other employees is at high risk (suffering from chronic diseases of lung/heart/kidney/neoroloigcal system or blood disorder) for H1N1 and he / she becomes sick with influenza like sickness, the school authories should immediately take him/her to the medical officer of the school and carry out further treatment strictly under advice of the doctor.  Mostly such patients will be kept at Oseltamivir and home isolation.

• In case of students staying in hostels, the school authority should monitor the health status of students as well as the other ancillary staff in the hostel on regular basis.

• In case there are suspected cases in the hostel, the authorised local medical authority should be called for examination of all students and school authority should not close the hostel and send the students back to their home.

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