The death of a second child due to dengue fever has led Samoa’s Ministry of Education to extend the school break. The latest death was an 8-year-old girl who died at the Motootua Hospital Monday, where she was admitted for five days.
All Early Childhood Education programs and Elementary classes for Years 1 to 7 will be suspended from Monday, July 21, to Friday, July 25, in six school districts.
Classes for Year 8 and college-level students will resume July 21 as planned.
The directive follows advice from the Ministry of Health as part of wider efforts to prevent the spread of the mosquito-borne disease, which has seen a resurgence in recent weeks.
CEO of the Ministry of Education, Aeau Chris Hazelman, said he had consultations with the Acting Director General for Health, Tagaloa Dr. Robert Thompsen, who confirmed that the age group of children most affected includes 10 years and under.
He also advised parents to work together with the ministries of Health and Education to help prevent dengue from spreading by cleaning their surroundings. He emphasized that adding this must be a joint effort, including the removal of still and stagnant water.
