3 Iranian schools closed to contain swine flu

At least thee Iranian schools have been closed as a precaution against the spread of the A/H1N1 flu among students.

Seyyed Ali Yazdikhah, the director of the Education Organization of Tehran Province, told the ILNA news agency on Monday that the schools were closed in line with a circular issued by the Education Ministry to prevent the spread of swine flu in schools.

The circular says if 15 percent of students of a school have been infected with the A/H1N1 flu, the educational institution should be closed.

Earlier, the director of the Health Ministry's Center for Disease Control, Mohammad-Mehdi Gouya, urged parents to keep any child with flu-like symptoms, such as a fever, cough, or sore throat, at home until the symptoms are gone.

Iran's health officials have stressed that adopting simple precautionary measures such as frequently washing hands, using a tissue to cover the mouth when coughing and sneezing, and avoiding kissing can help contain the virus from spreading.

The Health Ministry's latest reports indicate that swine flu has claimed the lives of 16 people across the country as the national tally of infections has risen to 1194.