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Two Malang schools closed as hundreds of students, teachers test positive for diphtheria
More than 200 students and teachers have tested positive for the bacterial infection diphtheria in two schools in Malang, East Java, prompting officials to temporarily close the schools.
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Stay healthy: A health worker from the Tangerang Health Agency, Banten, injects an elementary school student with a diphtheria vaccine on Dec. 11, 2018. (Antara/Muhammad Iqbal)
D
ozens of students and teachers from two public schools in Malang, East Java, have tested positive for diphtheria after undergoing examinations by a local health center.
At State Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MIN) 1 Islamic elementary school in Malang, a total of 212 students and 15 teachers have tested positive to the bacterial infection. Meanwhile, at SMA 7 state high school 42 students and 20 teachers had tested positive as of Thursday.
While the students and teachers are reportedly in a healthy condition, the throat swab test showed they were carriers of the disease.
MIN 1 headmaster Suyanto said the school had been closed since Monday to prevent the disease from spreading.
“At the same time, we will give the students and teachers that have fallen ill time to focus on their treatment, the expenses of which will be borne by the health agency,” Suyanto said on Thursday.
He added that fogging would be done at the school and that when school activities resumed next week, another round of swab tests would be conducted to ensure all students, teachers and school staff members were free from diphtheria.
