When will our children get HEPA filters in their classrooms? I am so tired of my children constantly being ill and missing school!

[Annemcc32]

I can't believe we are still waiting for HEPA filters in classrooms, they were talking about this in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and STILL they have done nothing! What exactly are they waiting for at this point? There's tons of evidence that they work to remove viruses from the air.
My kids have had Covid 4 times so far and were both very ill. How can they defend doing nothing to prevent staff and children? They have a duty of care to provide a safe environment.
The MOST annoying thing is that clean air IS provided in the Houses of Parliament, many private schools and even the DfE!!
Other countries have already done this now and it reduces transmission of airborne viruses to offer a layer of protection and reduce illness/absence.
I noticed that one council has committed to it just recently (Herefordshire I think). Why is this not being sorted out ASAP before the kids go back in September?
Why are we so bad at protecting our kids?
Not to mention that IF bird flu takes off (no pun intended) this would help. Where did public health go? The UKHSA seem to have taken a sabbatical for the last four years.

I can't believe we are still waiting either. HEPA filters are such a cheap way of helping to improve the health of our kids. I bought filters for my kid's classrooms while she was in primary school and they made such a difference to sickness levels that the school invested for the rest of the classrooms. Different story in secondary, sadly. The Government can't talk about improving the health of kids without dealing with the quality of air in classrooms.

Agree with this

Not according to goverment guidance. They have sent schools CO2 monitors for every classroom to identify quality of ventilation and access to HEPAS if required. So I assume you are failing to use and follow this guidance?
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-co-monitors-and-air-cleaning-units-in-education-and-care-settings#:~:text=Between%202021%20to%202023%20the,quality%20in%20poorly%20ventilated%20spaces.

@Annemcc32 @mumatlast14 there are precisely 3 abstracts on paediatric populations that pop up on the long Covid kids research section ,unless I am missing something. With regards to the video, again there’s nothing pertaining to children in themselves to allow you to assert what you’ve said about risks of repeated infection in children. Far too many people quote research papers that include subjects who caught Covid for the first time pre jabs and quote studies done on specific populations as relevant to everyone regardless of age or health status. We know full well the risk to kids has never been anything like the risk to older adults.The ons figures of 110,000 also relate to self-reported long covid rather than that confirmed by a dr. As I said I’m long term ME and welcome research as it’s benefitting people with CFS but you need good quality evidence and to be really clear that what you are dealing with is down to the same phenomenon. I totally accept that long Covid is real and affects many adults and kids but when you over state the risks to children in general it really doesn’t help people take you seriously. I can link you to many studies regarding ME in kids prior to the pandemic, there have always been children who have their illness triggered by viruses such as Epstein Barr so we don’t know if these kids would have had their illness triggered at some point by another infection if Covid hadn’t come along https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2016/january/chronic-fatigue-syndrome.html .

I bought and use my own HEPA filter in my classroom. I already have chronic illnesses and what helps me helps my class. I change the filter every three months not six as they are always filthy. Classrooms are dirty places.

So although you recognise that kids can have severe illness triggered by viruses you still don't think cleaning air to remove viruses is necessary?
Seems to me people are more hung up at denying there needs to be any consideration of covid to the point of opening their arms to repeated illness whatever it is!

Hmmmm. There’s no shortage of research. Here’s a couple, but what you’re saying is just plain wrong.

Here’s a detailed recent study:https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/153/3/e2023062570/196606/Postacute-Sequelae-of-SARS-CoV-2-in-Children

This was last week, it has been shown what it does to their blood: https://x.com/binitakane/status/1815015750546903193?s=46&t=ksYD8M1iU2U2zo2b0SGBvw

Two weeks ago, T1 diabetes:https://www.medpagetoday.com/endocrinology/type1diabetes/111084

This video explains what covid does to the brain. Anyone’s brain: https://x.com/inkblue01/status/1812105181594599862?s=46&t=ksYD8M1iU2U2zo2b0SGBvw

As for the self reported comment. I’m surprised to hear that from you if you have ME. But here is a picture of what long covid sufferers blood looks like. There will be a blood test, soon. At which point all those suggesting kids were lying will need to do some serious back pedalling:

A long covid kids news report for you too:

No I'm not suggesting anyone is lying but , as with ME, is all long covid actually long covid? is long covid itself any one thing ...those running our CFS/long covid service suggest not, we have people who were very poorly in hospital and have clearly suffered damage that would be demonstrable on XR/CT and have breathing and circulatory difficulties, we have other people who had very minor Covid infections but then a while later developed problems with fatigue and brain fog and who,like many with ME,would have no demonstrable changes to their body but its possible that infection has triggered some form of immune/autonomic dysfunction. i really would highlight twitter is not necessarily a reliable source of info and its patently untrue to suggest that covid has the same impact on everyone's blood, brain etc.
I know you think there will be a blood test to "prove " it but that blood test is really unlikely to "prove it" for the majority - and we don't need to have physical proof to take long covid seriously.
The "recent study" you posted (which isn't a completed study, its a narrative review of ongoing work) has explained exactly what the challenges are in research "To date, the majority of studies of PASC in children can be characterized as small, case-based, cross-sectional, retrospective, clinic-based, or convenience samples. PASC can also be difficult to diagnose because associated signs and symptoms are broad, affecting numerous organ systems, and can overlap with underlying comorbidities." "However, much remains yet to be discovered. It is important to characterize distinct subphenotypes and patterns of symptom clustering of PASC and to understand why some children develop PASC but not others."
As i say, i have no issue with the obvious fact that covid causes severe long lasting problems for some but for the majority of kids it doesn't and we would do well to highlight all the other infections that cause illness and death in children like the reduction in uptake of routine childhood jabs, the increase in measles, RSV, whooping cough etc that are of greater risk to children than covid.

I will set to one side the reasons why I think you are wrong and ask you a question.
why do you not think that air filigrees would not also reduce the huge numbers of children who are catching RSV, measles and whooping cough? All airborne. All would be reduced.
So, shouldn’t you be in favour, even if you don’t believe kids get long covid (which they definitely do)?

Simple soap and water destroys the covid virus on the hands. Coughing and sneezing into your elbow prevents the airborne spread caused by coughing and sneezing out. Teach the kids and their parents, families and friends and general population these easy and simple techniques and there would be less illness all about. I see people coughing and sneezing out and onto their hands it spreads viruses to others. Everyone asking for air filters should start by basic hygiene education first and see how this sorts out the illness spread.

Would anecdotal evidence convince you that hepas make a difference? I run a children's cupcake decorating school, similar to a pottery cafe. We invested in a hepa filter and enhanced mechanical ventilation early on. The parents appreciated this. Over the last 5 years, none of our staff have contracted Covid. I run the retail part of the shop single handed. I have not had Covid either. I haven't even had a cold. My retail customers appreciate our efforts and it has increased our trade.

Most recent paper attempting to define long covid. There are phenotypes. Doesn’t mean that the cause is not the same. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S014067362401136X

are you not reading my posts , i know full well kids get long covid! i also have never commented on hepa filters, I was mentioning your over-focus on covid. I think anyone in a public health setting should have access to well ventilated buildings,which applies to staff working in hospitals with acutely ill patients as much if not more than schools,seeing as adults are at greater risk.

so do you see why self-diagnosis of long covid without any form of medical corroboration is a problem when it comes to research?

I am reading them. So far:

1. you think that all long covid is not long covid..?
2. you think there’s is no evidence for PASC in kids
3. You think other infections/viruses might have triggered illness in kids if Covid hadn’t.
4. This post is about HEPA filters. You are arguing with me about whether or not they are needed as you think kids are not really affected by Covid.

Did I miss anything?
Probably.
I haven’t agreed with much you’ve said tbh 😂

Did you read it?
Heresy graphic for you. There’s PLENTY of medical corroboration!!

you really aren't reading what i am writing! (or at least not understanding)

Maybe not. Must be me 🙄

i'm not quite sure where you got that graphic from (not legible) but did you actually read that article ? "Epidemiological studies on long COVID are difficult to interpret and combine because they have widely different sampling frames, inclusion criteria, participant demographics, diagnostic criteria, and methodologies.18 They include, for example, follow-up studies of people discharged from hospital (skewed towards those with more severe initial illness)19, 20, 21, 22 or in military veterans’ insurance schemes (skewed towards older men),23 surveys of people who had joined online support groups...."

Do you genuinely believe what you are saying? Just Google how airborne viruses spread 🤦🏽‍♀️
The viral particles remain suspended in the air for UP TO TWO HOURS.
How do ppl still not know this in year 5 of an airborne pandemic?

Most schools don't have air con or forced air heating so where exactly are these going to be installed in your average 1950's school building?

Why haven't you paid for this OP, just in your own kids' classrooms.

Maybe you could hold a bake sale...

Graphic was created by one of the authors. Trish Greenlagh.
I’m going to stop messaging now as I’m finding your posts contradictory.
This post is about HEPA filters. You seem to be in favour..?🤷🏻‍♀️
Which is great.
Don’t forget to vote in the poll.

They are just plugged in..