Some UAE schools have asked parents not to send in sick children due to the prevalence of influenza.
This follows a rise in flu rates in the UAE in recent weeks, with schools in Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi recording hundreds of cases of pupils with fever and other symptoms.
On Monday, the International School of Choueifat in Sharjah sent an email to parents asking for their help to minimise the spread of infections and viruses in the classroom.
“This serves as a precautionary measure for all parents in relation to influenza A and B virus,” the email said. “To prevent widespread flu in school, we recommend that your child stay home if experiencing flu or cold symptoms.”
If they don't stay home they will be exposing the entire school community to the virus
Mohamed Mutawea,
Al Maaref Private School, Dubai
They listed several symptoms including a fever greater than 38°C (100°F), vomiting (even once), diarrhoea, chills, fatigue, discomfort, weakness, muscle aches, nasal congestion, runny nose and frequent coughing.
“When my KG2 son at Sharjah’s Choueifat suffered symptoms of flu, I didn’t send him to school,” said Yara Mahmoud, 43, from Jordan.
“But If other parents did the same, my son wouldn’t have been infected in the first place. I even stopped visiting friends and family to avoid spreading the virus.”
She said by the third day of her son’s infection, she and her husband both fell sick.
In Dubai, Al Maaref Private School sent two text messages to parents telling them not to send their children to school if they didn’t feel well.
“We texted parents last week and two weeks before telling them that children with symptoms must stay home,” said head teacher Mohamed Mutawea.
“If they don't stay home they will be exposing the entire school community to the virus.”
Mr Mutawea said some parents would send their children to school despite knowing they are not feeling well.
“If a child falls sick we immediately send them to one of two isolation rooms at the school and contact their parents to come to pick them up,” he said.
“Just now a parent was contacted to come to pick up his three children after they showed symptoms of flu.”
Samir Sarhan, principal at Al Maarifa International Private School in Sharjah, said it's important parents keep their children who are suffering from any symptoms at home to stop the virus spreading.
“We assure parents that their children will not miss out on anything as the school allows sick pupils who do not attend classes physically to learn from home,” he said.
Last month, the Ministry of Health and Prevention launched its seasonal influenza campaign, which is in line with the UAE’s strategy to provide comprehensive health coverage and protect members of society against infectious diseases, and will run until December.
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Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
The specs
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On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The view from The National
Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
