As School Starts, China's Schools Prepare to Fight Flu

Anchor:

Chinese schools and universities are taking measures to prevent the outbreak of the A/H1N1 influenza virus as the new semester starts on Tuesday.

Our reporter Chen Zhe has more.

Reporter:

According to Beijing's Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the city will provide free traditional Chinese medicine to fight A/H1N1 infections among its three million university, primary and middle schools students.

The medicine will be distributed in schools when students can take the infusion voluntarily.

Cao Jing, vice president of a primary school in Beijing's Chaoyang District, says his students have already been informed about preventive measures before the semester officially begins.

"Through our school's campus network, though our blackboard column, broadcasting, as well as phone calls from teachers, we have imparted preventive knowledge to our students to help them cultivate hygienic habits and keep away from the infection."

Many universities have launched health monitoring programs for freshmen and are expected to make daily reports on students' health conditions to the disease control center.

Liang Yongtu is a staff member at China University of Petroleum.

"This year many parents have accompanied their children to school. We suggest they return home as early as possible to reduce the chance of getting infected."

Officials from the disease control center have warned that the H1N1 might begin spreading earlier than previous flu viruses.

Situation could be worsened with the ordinary flu going around at the same time.The Beijing municipal government will begin to offer flu vaccinations later this month.

Temperature monitoring has also started in some Shanghai schools as students register for the new semester.Teachers are also required to observe students in class and report the situation every day in Shanghai. Posters with flu prevention instructions have been posted in classrooms in East China's Fujian Province. Morning health monitoring is also required throughout the province.

As of Monday afternoon, China had reported more than 3,700 A/H1N1 flu cases, of which over 3,200 have recovered. No deaths have been reported.

Chen Zhe, CRI news.