As South African schools re-open, reservoirs of virus to spill into communities

...children are "reservoirs" of viruses.

SHOOT: My maid told me this morning she is extremely sick. I hope it's just an excuse. If she is sick I have to consider not employing her for a few weeks...

clipped from www.iol.co.za It said the St Stithians College sent a notice to parents after a pupil fell sick last week. The school's spokesperson, Megan van der Poll, said the boy had almost fully recovered and was expected back at school later this week. "The reason why we notified the parents is just to inform of them of the incident and advise them to be aware of the symptoms," she said. Anyone showing flu symptoms within the next seven days at the school were advised to go to the doctor. This includes a runny or congested nose, coughing, sore throat, fever and muscle pain. It warned that the end of government school holidays next week could cause a rise in cases, as children were "reservoirs" of viruses. World-wide, there have been more than 95 000 reported cases and some 450 deaths, although the number of actual cases was thought to be much higher.