SIDON: Don’t exaggerate the fear of the H1N1 virus but don’t neglect precautionary measures either, Education Minister Bahia Hariri advised physicians responsible for monitoring health at schools. During a meeting in Majdelyoun near Sidon, Hariri said that school physicians were a particularly important part of the process of protecting against H1N1, but that their daily work routine and other measures required improvement. She added that there was currently one physician for every 500 students enroled in the country’s public schools. 

The meeting, which was also attended by head of the Lebanese Order of Physicians, George Aftimos, was aimed at finding ways to improve the health environment at schools and to provide counseling for school physicians. 

She added that physicians should focus on detecting the virus and raising awareness about prevention methods. Hariri also referred to health measures that needed to be implemented, such as keeping a health file and a mandatory health card for every student and teacher, providing potable water for students and installing proper waste water systems. 

“We shouldn’t exaggerate the fear of this disease, but at the same time, we shouldn’t neglect it or be cavalier about it,” the minister said. 

Aftimos reiterated Hariri’s remarks, stating that the Order of Physicians had formed a scientific committee in collaboration with the Health Ministry and the Education Ministry for this purpose.

Aftimos also expressed his regret that “some pharmaceutical companies” were trying to benefit financially from the pandemic by asking physicians to reserve a number of H1N1 vaccines before the treatment was even approved.