The principal of a County Londonderry school said it was like “back in Covid times” after 170 students fell ill in just one day.
Brian Guthrie of Ebrington Primary School said some children had to attend hospital and a small number were admitted for treatment last week.
Confirmed cases of flu among adults and children across Northern Ireland have more than tripled in the past two weeks, rising from 273 to 954, official figures show.
Mr Guthrie said that the classroom assistants at his school were also absent due to illness.
“It wasn’t just flu, it was stomach bugs, a lot of sore throats and illnesses in other ways too but over the past week, it’s been very, very challenging with the number of students and staff off,” Mr Guthrie told the BBC’s North West Today programme.
“It took me back to 2020, to be quite honest, the attendance was actually worse last week than it would have been at the worst points, if you will, back in the Covid times, so, yes, it was a bit of a shock.”
The impact of the high levels of absence, Mr Guthrie said, meant that teachers were unable to undertake new learning in terms of literacy and numeracy.
“It was affecting the younger kids more at the beginning of last week but towards the end of the week, we noticed it was the upper end of the school, our P5-to-P7s, where we were seeing a higher absence rate but at the beginning of last week, it was more primary one, primary two,” he said.
‘Most severe flu outbreak in a decade’
Seasonal illnesses, including flu, increase every winter – but experts have predicted that this year’s flu season could be the worst in a decade.
It is affecting young people in particular and a pediatrician in Belfast said it is the worst flu outbreak she has seen.
In the week ending November 30, under-fives had the highest number of confirmed flu cases of any age group, according to the latest data published by the Public Health Agency, (PHA).
During the same period young people from five to 14 years old had the highest rate of positivity (54.2%), meaning that although fewer of them were tested – those who were tested had more chance of having the flu.
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The Director of Public Health at the PHA, Dr Joanne McClean described the current number of flu cases in Northern Ireland as an “epidemic”.
In the week to November 30 there was “almost a doubling” of both positive tests and flu-related hospital admissions compared to the previous week, she said.
“The epidemic is still growing,” Dr McClean said on the BBC’s Evening Extra programme.
“So we will expect to see even higher numbers next week.”
Dr. McClean explained that this strain of influenza “a little distant” called H3, which is more infectious than the usual types and seems to be impacting children in the most significant way.
However, she said, most children who get the flu will not need to be hospitalized.
She added that the probability of a child needing hospital treatment decreases by around 70% if they get the vaccine.
The PHA is responsible for rolling out flu vaccines in schools across Northern Ireland, of which around 1,200 are covered by the programme.
Dr Joanne McClean has described the current flu outbreak as an “epidemic” [BBC]
Earlier on Friday, Dr McClean told The Nolan Show about 40 schools in Northern Ireland had not yet been visited by the vaccination programme.
“Most of them will have had a visit by next week,” she said.
“At the minute, there are some schools that are scheduled after the Christmas holidays.”
She added that the PHA will follow up with those schools to see if anything can be done to get the vaccines out to them quickly and that delivering vaccine programs through the schools will ensure higher uptake.
“As director of public health, it would be good if we could carry out all the schools in September, as soon as the vaccine arrives,” she said.
“But there are many schools, we have to agree the times with the schools. They have to find a date that suits them and then we have to bring in nurses to administer the vaccine.”
‘The use of influence among disappointing children’
Immunization rates among children across the age range remain below 50%, according to PHA figures.
Around one in four pre-school children have had the flu vaccine so far, while around one in three post-primary children have.
Dr McClean said the current data is incomplete but suggests that use among school-aged children will be similar to last year.
“I would prefer that the absorption was 85-90%. I would prefer if everyone got it,” she said.
“So, of course I’m disappointed with that.”
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Pre-school children (2–4): 25.8%
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Primary school children (P1–P7): 44.7%
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Post-primary children (Years 8–12): 30.3%
Who is eligible for a flu vaccine?
In Northern Ireland, the flu vaccine is free for all pre-school children aged two and over, as well as all children in primary school and all children aged 8 to 12 in secondary school.
People aged 65 and over, pregnant women, those with underlying health conditions, care home residents and health and social care workers are also eligible for free vaccines.
Vaccines can be accessed through GPs, community pharmacies, school programs and at local Trust clinics.
People who are not eligible for free vaccines can still pay to get them from pharmacies that offer vaccination services.
Liam Bradley, a community pharmacist in Derry, said demand for the flu vaccine this year was greater than last year.
“Each pharmacy is allocated a certain quota of vaccines and we had used our quotas in all our branches and ordered more,” he said.
“There may be a temporary shortage of vaccines because the pharmacies have used their quota but the Department of Health will be trying to ensure that everyone gets the vaccine.”
He said it takes about seven to 10 days for the vaccine to give people protection against the flu.