156 closures as swine flu spreads

SWINE flu has forced a growing number of schools to send classes home or close entirely, according to new official figures.

According to the education ministry, 124 classes and 32 schools are closed today - compared with 40 classes and 10 schools this time last week.

Education Minister Luc Chatel told France Info there had been a sharp rise in the number of cases of the virus among school pupils.

The decision on whether to close a school or class rests with the local préfet in consultation with the education authorities and headteachers.

Ministers agreed before the rentrée in September that the standard period of closure should be six days, and put in place a series of measures including TV and radio lessons to make sure pupils did not get behind with work.

The vaccination campaign for schoolchildren is due to begin on November 25. Collégiens and lycéens will get the jab at school.

Younger children will be supervised by their parents at one of the 1,000 public vaccination centres around the country.

According to official figures, 91 people have reported side-effects out of 100,000 vaccinations. Four of these have been considered "serious", including a case of a rare nervous disorder potentially linked to the jab.

According to the Institut du Veille Sanitaire, 1.5 million people in France have already been hit by swine flu. Some 46 people have died.

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