IMPORTANT NEWS FROM JAMAICA: Mass illness hits St Thomas schools Students, teachers forced to stay home with flu-like symptoms, joint pains and rashes....The school has a student population of 1,208 and a teacher complement of 40.

 BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com  Tuesday, September 16, 2014   

CLOSE to 200 students at Yallahs Primary School in St Thomas and 25 per cent of its teacher complement were absent from class yesterday, having been forced to stay home consequent to what school officials say are flu-like symptoms accompanied by fever, severe joint pains and rashes.

People wait to see the doctor at Yallahs Health Centre.

Principal Yvette Graham told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that the mass absences began three weeks ago, with approximately 75 of the students reporting ill between last Thursday and yesterday. The school has a student population of 1,208 and a teacher complement of 40.

St Thomas is among the parishes hardest hit by the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus, which carries flu-like symptoms similar to what the teachers and students have been afflicted with.

"The students were either sent home after they turned up at the school displaying symptoms of the illness or they failed to turn up for classes," Graham told the Observer.

"A total of 25 per cent of the school's teacher population have not turned up for classes; they too have fallen ill," added Vice-Principal Venice Boyd Blake.

Yesterday, one teacher was seen leaving the institution using a stick as a walking aid as she was said to be experiencing severe joint pains accompanied by other flu-like symptoms.

But Yallahs Primary was not the only school affected, as officials at nearby Newland Basic closed the school for several days last week after more than half the student population and several teachers had similar flu-like symptoms.

Yesterday both teachers and concerned residents called on the Ministry of Health to step up its fogging of the area. One resident, Lillis Ffriend, said over the past week all eight members of her family had fallen ill.

"Yes, it's true, no test has been done to determine if it's chikungunya, but we want to know what is this illness that has left people in the town suffering from fever, rash and joint pains," said Ffriend. more