Three schools in Goiás are under investigation for an H1N1 flu outbreak that killed two students. Two schools are in Goiânia, and one in Aparecida de Goiás, close to the capital.
The State Department of Health created a situation room to monitor disease records daily. The state government is also campaigning for schools to inform the secretariat whenever there are more than three incidents.
The two deaths recorded are of a 12-year-old teenager, at a school in Goiânia, last Sunday (13), and a 5-year-old boy, at a school in Aparecida de Goiânia, last Tuesday (15).
Since the beginning of the year, Goiás has registered 6,044 cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, with more than 500 deaths. Of this total, 241 cases are of H1N1, an increase of 65% compared to the 145 cases recorded throughout 2023. The state recorded 47 deaths due to H1N1, compared to 29 deaths recorded throughout last year.
The State Department of Health warns that vaccination should continue, especially for priority groups: children, the elderly, pregnant women, women who gave birth in the last 45 days and immunocompromised people.
The state government will notify the Municipal Health Department of Goiânia to reopen around 20 vaccination rooms closed this year due to lack of professionals in the state capital.
The department also recommends the immediate removal of children and teachers with flu-like symptoms to interrupt transmission.
The state government will update a technical note issued in the first half of the year on the necessary precautions.
The main ways to prevent the disease, highlights the State Department of Health, are hand hygiene, wearing a mask and isolation in case of symptoms.
Regarding masks, the state recommends their use, without making them mandatory, for now.
