A day after an elementary school in Dongguan, Guangdong province, was closed for seven days after 30 of its students fell victim to the A(H1N1) flu, the Ministry of Education Monday urged students across China to "avoid unnecessary parties and travel during the upcoming summer vacation".

In a statement on its official website, the ministry also advised students to "stay away from crowds and people who show any symptoms of the flu".

Schools that are planning to hold international academic events during the vacations should stay alert for the pandemic and be prepared for any emergency, the statement said.

Thirty students - all younger than 12 - of the central primary school in the Shipai township were confirmed infected with the H1N1 influenza late last week, following which the school was ordered shut down for a period of seven days starting Monday.

Six students developed symptoms of the flu last Wednesday and 24 others took ill on Thursday and Friday, according to local health authorities.

The infected children are in stable condition since their illness was mild, authorities said.

Nurses at the Shilong Hospital, where 12 of the students are being treated, were quoted as saying by local media that most of the children are 7 to 8 years old and are accompanied by one of their parents in the quarantined wards.


A teacher of the Longfu Primary School in Dongguan, Guangdong province, checks a student's body temperature on June 22, 2009 after 30 students of the Central Primary School in the city's Shipai township fell victim to the H1N1 flu. (China Daily/ Agencies Photo)


Students sweep the school campus of the Longfu Primary School in Dongguan, Guangdong province, June 22, 2009. (China Daily/ Agencies Photo)

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