Unidentified illness sweeps Caye Caulker primary school
The school year has just opened but students at the Caye Caulker Roman Catholic School are taking the rest of the week off… and it’s no major holiday. An undetermined viral infection has raised serious concerns in the school and at least one third of the students have been sent home since classes started. Health inspectors are evaluating the alarming situation and conducting tests, but in the meantime, the Ministry of Education has directed that the school be closed until the source of the illness is known. News Five traveled to Caye Caulker where we were briefed on the sudden outbreak by the acting principal, Beatrice Chan.
Beatrice Chan, Acting Principal, Caye Caulker RC School
“From since school reopened on September thirty-first I have been sending home children with high fever, with headache, with vomiting, with cough, cold.”
Delahnie Bain
“How many kids so far?”
Beatrice Chan
“This morning I have done a recent count and I have one hundred thirty-nine children that I have sent home from our school.”
Delahnie Bain
“What kind of precautions have you been taking?”
Beatrice Chan
“The heath inspector was here last week and he has advised me to send home all children with any symptoms of cough, cold headache, stomach ache, vomiting, and so I have been around. Any children that I see with those symptoms, I have sent them home and asked their parents to take them to the doctor and the doctor gives them a check up and if they have any of these then the doctor gives them three to five days to rest at home and gives them medication. After those days they are to return to the doctor and the doctor will tell them if they are able to return to school or not.”
Delahnie Bain
“Have you been told what exactly it is that is affecting the kids?”
Beatrice Chan
“No, the health inspector, they have taken tests. They took three on Friday and today they have sent out more but we haven’t gotten back any results as yet and so we don’t really know what the sickness is.”
Delahnie Bain
“You mentioned earlier also that you have some teachers out?”
Beatrice Chan
“Yes, I have five of my teachers out and one is sick and so the health inspector has advised me to send her home as well so she is not returning tomorrow so that will be six of my teachers out.”
Delahnie Bain
“So how is the school coping with the shortage of staff and the number of students out as well?”
Beatrice Chan
“Well, last week we had some parents coming in that usually help us out when teachers get sick or when we have to go on workshop, we usually bring these parents in and they help us in the classroom. So those parents were in last week but they are unable come in this week because their children now are very sick.”
