A SMALL Gaeltacht village in west Donegal is counting the cost of an outbreak of swine flu at the weekend that saw an Irish language college closed down and all 300 students sent home.
Authorities closed the college at Loughanure, west Donegal, on Saturday evening following confirmation that 11 students tested positive for swine flu.
Six students were sent home from the Irish college on Thursday because of illness, while a further five tested positive on Saturday afternoon. The affected students were described as having “mild symptoms”.
Two GPs spent over four hours seeing the remaining students, aged between 14 and 17, on Saturday evening before they returned to their homes throughout Northern Ireland.
Initially on Saturday it was decided the course would continue, but when further tests were positive a decision was taken to close the college for seven days.
Teachers and locals questioned the decision, saying sending 300 students into Northern Ireland, many with symptoms, might not be the best option. Some felt this could spread of the virus.
GP Tony Delap said 140 of the students showed symptoms of swine flu following examination on Saturday evening and they were all prescribed Tamiflu. The remainder showed no symptoms and were not treated.
“We had positive swabs for swine flu, and as a result of that we probably had an epidemic of the flu here. Our experience of this outbreak so far is that it’s a very mild flu-like illness and in the main is very short-lived.
“Patients respond well to paracetamol and fluids, and in the main do not need any further treatment. Even the students we seen earlier in the week have made a full recovery with basic symptomatic treatment.”
The reason the school has been closed down for seven days was on the advice of the HSE’s national committee on swine flu. “They decided for the safety of the children that they should be at home when they’re sick should their symptoms deteriorate.”
There were fears yesterday of further outbreaks in the area because of the number of local people who have had contact with the students. As many as 150 locals would have daily contact with the students in their homes and many more out and about through the village.
Dr Delap said: “The virus appears to be in the community and many will develop symptoms of swine flu. I would hope that they will all recover fully. They will have a mild illness and should stay at home taking plenty of fluids and paracetamol.”
The Donegal Gaeltacht summer courses incorporating 13 colleges are worth millions of euro to the local economy, and the closure of the college will reduce the financial benefit to the local area.
Some 25 houses in the village of Loughanure are paid by the college and Roinn na Gaeltachta for providing accommodation, and local businesses also benefit.
Some houses would earn more than €2,500 per week, while the estimated loss of income to accommodation providers and businesses in the village for one week alone could exceed €100,000.
However, accommodation providers and locals said the health of the children and the community was the number one priority.