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At a primary school in County Londonderry, the principal has described the current situation as reminiscent of the height of the Covid pandemic, with an unprecedented number of absences due to illness. Brian Guthrie, who leads Ebrington Primary School, reported that on one day alone, 170 pupils were off sick. The severity of the situation is underscored by the fact that some children required hospital visits, with a small portion admitted for further treatment during the last week.
The recent surge in illness is supported by regional health data showing a sharp rise in confirmed flu cases among both adults and children in Northern Ireland. Numbers have more than tripled in just two weeks, jumping from 273 to 954 cases, according to official statistics. In addition to students, classroom assistants have also been absent, compounding the challenge of managing the school day. Mr Guthrie expressed the difficulty the school faced, noting it was not only flu contributing to absences but also stomach bugs, severe sore throats, and other illnesses.
Reflecting on the impact, Mr Guthrie explained to BBC’s North West Today that student attendance last week was even worse than at the worst points of the Covid pandemic in 2020. He observed that younger pupils, especially those in primary one and primary two, were more affected early in the week, whereas by the end, the older children in primary five through primary seven saw higher absence rates. The high number of staff and pupil absences hindered teachers’ ability to continue introducing new lessons, particularly in literacy and numeracy.
Health experts have flagged this flu season as potentially the most severe in a decade, with children being particularly affected. The Public Health Agency’s latest data indicates that children under five had the highest confirmed flu cases in the week ending 30 November, while the age group five to 14 years had the highest positivity rate at 54.2%, meaning those tested were very likely to have flu. Meanwhile, concerns about flu vaccine availability have been raised. Community pharmacist Liam Bradley from Derry confirmed that demand this year has exceeded that of last year. While pharmacies receive limited vaccine stocks and have placed further orders, temporary shortages may still occur. He emphasized that protection from the flu vaccine typically develops seven to ten days after administration
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