SCHOOLS will not be closed and the start of term will not be put back as originally discussed in light of the swine ‘flu epidemic.

A meeting between Spain’s ministries of health and education led to a unanimous vote against starting the term later or closing down schools to cut the risk of children contracting the AH1N1 virus.

“It’s a new kind of ‘flu that is worrying authorities, but we’re going to treat it with the normality it deserves,” stresses health minister Trinidad Jiménez.

If an outbreak is detected in any school, they will take the ‘necessary measures in each individual situation’, with the agreement of the regional ministers of health and education concerned.

Education minister Ángel Gabilondo says closing schools down will ‘not protect children’s health’ and will ‘not resolve any problems, but may in fact create them’.

At present, stresses Gabilondo, there are ‘no clinical motives’ for putting back the start of the new term.

Spanish authorities are working closely with those of other European countries in order to pool knowledge.

To this end, they have decided to only vaccinate children with chronic health conditions, and are in the process of producing a guide for teachers.