結膜炎流行で５．６万校休校　パキスタン東部

【ラホールＡＦＰ＝時事】パキスタン・パンジャブ州当局は２７日、結膜炎の感染拡大を抑えるため、州内の学校を１０月１日まで休校にすると発表した。対象となるのは公立５万６０００校と私立数千校で、子ども数百万人が影響を受ける。（写真はパキスタン・ラホールの病院で、目の感染症の検査を行う医師〈左〉）
　１億２７００万人と国内最大の人口を抱えるパンジャブ州では、今年に入ってからこれまでに３５万７０００人の感染が確認されている。
　結膜炎は、目の充血やかゆみ、目やになどの症状が伴う。結膜炎の目に触れた手から移るほか、せきやくしゃみなどの飛沫でも感染する。
　同州の教育当局のズルフィカール・アリ報道官はＡＦＰに、「休校は予防的措置だ」と説明した。
　州当局は学校が再開される来月２日には、校門で検査を実施するとしている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/09/28-16:40）

More than 56,000 Pakistan schools will shut for the rest of the week in a bid to curb a mass outbreak of a contagious eye virus, officials said Wednesday.
Millions of students will stay home from tomorrow after Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, announced blanket closures having recorded 357,000 conjunctivitis cases since the start of the year.
The fast-spreading eye infection causes redness, itchiness and discharge from the eyes and contamination can spread through hand contact, as well as coughing and sneezing.
The closure has been announced as a proactive measure to give maximum protection to students against the infection, Punjab education department spokesman Zulfiqar Ali told AFP.
There are 127,000,000 residents in eastern Punjab province and 56,000 state schools, as well as thousands of independent schools also subject to the shutdown.
We hope this will break the cycle of the infection in the province, Ali said.
Schools across Pakistan had already been due to shut on Friday owing to a public religious holiday, however many would usually open over the weekend to provide extra classes or stage exams.
Punjab authorities said students would be screened at school gates when they reopen Monday.