A secondary school in Caerphilly, South Wales, will close for a ‘firebreak’ period after a significant outbreak of flu-like illness left more than 250 staff and pupils people absent
A Welsh secondary school will shut its doors for a temporary “firebreak” following a major outbreak of flu-like symptoms that has affected more than 250 pupils and staff members. St Martin’s School in Caerphilly will close temporarily to enable a thorough deep clean, with remote learning arrangements put in place during the closure period.
Headteacher Lee Jarvis has informed parents that he anticipates the school will reopen on Tuesday December 9. Public Health Wales has confirmed to the BBC that it has been liaising with the school, which made the closure decision based on its own risk evaluation.
A total of 242 students and 12 staff members have been recorded as absent from St Martin’s, displaying symptoms such as sickness, diarrhoea, elevated temperatures, coughing, headaches, exhaustion and “general flu-like effects”, reports North Wales Live.
Mr Jarvis explained: “Over the past week, we have experienced a significant outbreak of flu-like illness among pupils and staff. At present, 242 pupils and 12 staff members are unable to attend due to symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, high temperature, cough, headache, fatigue, and general flu-like effects.
“The average recovery period appears to be around seven days.”
He added: “Following advice from Public Health Wales, we will be temporarily closing the school to allow a short ‘firebreak’ period, reduce further transmission, and complete a deep clean of the building.”
The news comes as the NHS is bracing for what senior officials describe as a “historic crisis” this winter, as a heavily mutated strain of flu tears through the country and hospital admissions surge to record seasonal levels.
Health leaders say the so-called “super flu”, a drifted influenza A(H3N2) strain also known as “subclade K”, is proving more infectious and causing more severe illness than the viruses that dominated last year.
Experts fear the new variant is leaving people more vulnerable not only to flu itself but also to other circulating seasonal infections. Officials warn that the flu season has begun “unusually early”, prompting virologists to call on Britons to resume wearing face masks in crowded spaces.
Current data suggests children aged five to 14 are driving transmission, with H3N2 accounting for the overwhelming majority of confirmed cases.
NHS England has reported the highest number of flu patients in hospital for this point in the year, leading to concerns that an “unprecedent wave” of infections is building.