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Plateau School is one of several New Zealand schools to prepare their bathrooms for a possible outbreak.

At least 92 people have died of avian influenza worldwide and experts fear that a pandemic could kill millions if the virus becomes transferable between humans.

The Education Ministry – which paid for the works with a grant – says schools will be particularly vulnerable and maintaining good hygiene will be imperative.
A draft bird flu action plan has been sent to all schools. Principals have been advised to appoint a "pandemic manager" and to stockpile masks and medication. Plateau School principal Virginia Francis said she hoped the new bathrooms – with push-taps, liquid soap and paper towels – would be more attractive to pupils.

Children often did not wash their hands because they did not want to spend too much time in the old bathrooms, she said.

She had talked at assemblies on the importance of handwashing to keep bird flu at bay but said there was no sense of panic.

"If there's something we can do to prevent it happening or to make kids safer I will do it."

The school had also stocked up on groceries for families who could not afford to do it themselves, she said.

Pupils Taylor Green, 7, and Destiny Howard, 6, said the new bathrooms were "cool" and much better than the old ones.