School closures during the 2009 influenza pandemic: national and local experiences

Abstract

BackgroundSchool closure is a non-pharmaceutical intervention that was considered in many national pandemic plans developed prior to the start of the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 pandemic, and received considerable attention during the event. Here, we retrospectively review and compare national and local experiences with school closures in several countries during the A(H1N1)pdm09 pandemic. Our intention is not to make a systematic review of country experiences; rather, it is to present the diversity of school closure experiences and provide examples from national and local perspectives.MethodsData were gathered during and following a meeting, organized by the European Centres for Disease Control, on school closures held in October 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden. A standard data collection form was developed and sent to all participants. The twelve participating countries and administrative regions (Bulgaria, China, France, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Serbia, South Africa, Thailand, United Kingdom, and United States) provided data.ResultsOur review highlights the very diverse national and local experiences on school closures during the A(H1N1)pdm09 pandemic. The processes including who was in charge of making recommendations and who was in charge of making the decision to close, the school-based control strategies, the extent of school closures, the public health tradition of responses and expectations on school closure varied greatly between countries. Our review also discusses the many challenges associated with the implementation of this intervention and makes recommendations for further practical work in this area.ConclusionsThe single most important factor to explain differences observed between countries may have been the different public health practises and public expectations concerning school closures and influenza in the selected countries.

The impact of regular school closure on seasonal influenza epidemics: a data-driven spatial transmission model for Belgium

“…compared to adults are expected to be more sensitive to the closure of schools [9]. This experience was reported in many countries during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, where closed schools coincided with a marked reduction of influenza activity [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22].…”

Missouri K-12 school disaster and biological event preparedness and seasonal influenza vaccination among school nurses

“…6 Since that study was conducted, 2 studies have examined K-12 schools and biological events. One study consisted of an international review of school closure policies and procedures related to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, 9 and the other study examined differences across local health department implementation of school-based vaccination clinics. 10 No study has examined the extent to which schools are prepared for natural disasters or pandemics since the nationwide 2011 study.…”

Impact of an Education Intervention on Missouri K‐12 School Disaster and Biological Event Preparedness

“…Klaiman et al reported that pre‐event mass vaccination exercises in schools made deployment of actual school‐based vaccination clinics easier during the H1N1 influenza pandemic. Cauchemez et al asserted that schools need to host a drill to discuss policies and practices related to school closures during pandemics.…”

“…For instance, serious pandemic planning gaps were identified, such as failure to address pandemics in school disaster plans, to stockpile medication and personal protective equipment (PPE), and to incorporate infectious disease scenarios into school disaster drills . Few researchers have examined school disaster preparedness since, with the exception of studies focusing on the impact of the H1N1 influenza pandemic . One study found planning for school closures due to pandemics was insufficient and recommended specific actions, such as deciding on thresholds for closure, on methodologies for distance‐based education, and on materials for communicating with parents, staff, and the media .…”

“…Few researchers have examined school disaster preparedness since, with the exception of studies focusing on the impact of the H1N1 influenza pandemic . One study found planning for school closures due to pandemics was insufficient and recommended specific actions, such as deciding on thresholds for closure, on methodologies for distance‐based education, and on materials for communicating with parents, staff, and the media . A second study examined strategies for implementing a school‐based vaccination program during pandemics .…”