WHALEN: GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO DELIVER H1N1 MESSAGES TO PARENTS NOW
Date: Wednesday August 26, 2009

(Halifax, NS) - Liberal health critic Diana Whalen says with just one
week before students head back to school, the government has not armed
parents with necessary information about H1N1. The school boards’
pandemic plans have yet to receive final approval and school staff have
not yet received procedures to be followed when dealing with a possible
outbreak.

“With school less than a week away, I have had several calls from
parents asking me what to do if their children become ill and what
immunization plans are in place,” said Whalen, “Little effort has
been made to communicate with parents and inform them of the pandemic
procedures in place.”

Whalen says that parents and school staff must be informed of plans and
new procedures prior to the school year. School administrators,
teachers, and support staff will all have a role to play in the event of
an outbreak and will be responsible for implementing these plans.

“We’re already behind in our preparations for a potential outbreak
in relation to other provinces and our schools must be a top
priority,” says Whalen, “We know that the H1N1 virus has
disproportionately affected young people in recent months and group
environments also put school-aged children at greater risk for
contracting H1N1.”