Hand-washing marks opening of schools today
By Vincent Cabreza, Philip Tubeza
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inquirer Northern Luzon
First Posted 02:20:00 06/01/2009
Filed Under: Education, Swine Flu, Health, Statistics
MANILA, Philippines—“Lupang Hinirang,†then “Happy Birthday.â€
After Monday’s flag ceremony, one of the first things some 2 million public school students of Metro Manila are going to learn is proper hand-washing to avoid the dreaded A(H1N1) flu virus.
“I have issued a memo to our 682 public schools in Metro to hold, if possible, simultaneous exercises in the morning on how to do proper hand-washing,†said Teresita Domalanta, Department of Education (DepEd) director for the National Capital Region.
The Department of Health (DoH) has advised people to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water and if possible, for as long as a “Happy Birthday†song.
Students would be instructed to wash their hands upon reaching school, before and after meals, and after interacting with other people, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus told reporters Sunday at the Teachers’ Camp in Baguio City.
As long as water was flowing, students of public and private schools around the country should be protected from the swine flu virus, he said.
But if schools are not able to guarantee clean running water, there is an alternative.
Lapus said used bottled water containers could be filled and strung upside down in a row inside school toilets. The plastic bottle caps would be punctured to allow water to drip, so students could wash their hands.
A P1-billion allocation to establish water supply and fix school toilets was one of the DepEd’s weapons against the disease, he said, so reports confirming that 16 Filipinos have been infected with the virus should not alarm parents. Two of these patients are in the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Opening of classes, June 1, 2009
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