Nursery World - Schools confused by conflicting advice over disease precautions

Schools are being given conflicting advice on how to respond to the foot and mouth crisis in different parts of Britain. In Dumfries and Galloway, where 115 cases have been identified - nearly a seventh of the total number of cases across the country - schools within a 16-kilometre radius of confirmed outbreaks have been given disinfectant mats. However, Department for Education and Employment guidance for schools in England published last week warns against the use of such mats for health and safety reasons.

In Dumfries and Galloway, where 115 cases have been identified - nearly a seventh of the total number of cases across the country - schools within a 16-kilometre radius of confirmed outbreaks have been given disinfectant mats. However, Department for Education and Employment guidance for schools in England published last week warns against the use of such mats for health and safety reasons.

The DfEE guidance says that the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) has advised that pads may have only limited effect, and that there are 'significant' health and safety issues because the chemicals used are so toxic. It advises farming families to follow MAFF's advice on cleansing and disinfection on entering and leaving the farm and for the wheels of school buses collecting children from farm boundaries to be thoroughly cleansed and disinfec-ted before and after each shift.

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