(Trinidad Guardian) T&T recorded its fourth confirmed death from the highly contagious H1N1 Influenza (swine flu), which accounted for over 14,000 deaths worldwide in 2009.
According to a copy of a death certificate obtained by the T&T Guardian yesterday, Siparia mother Cherrie Ryce, 46, died of swine flu at the San Fernando General Hospital last Saturday after being warded there for just over a week. The death certificate certified by Prof Hubert Daisley stated the cause of death as “H1N1 influenza, diabetes mellitus and type 2 hypertension.”
Now Ryce’s relatives are calling on the Health Ministry to probe a possible cover-up at the hospital, saying she may have contracted the virus while staying in a ward that medical staff labelled as an “infectious ward.” Ryce’s sister, whose name was withheld because of her job, said she was told there may have been other swine flu-related cases and deaths at the hospital for the year.
A staff member at the hospital said there were suspected cases of swine flu and when patients die, their cause of death were given as pneumonia. After Ryce’s death, her daughter, Jennel, and ten-month-old grandson, Isaiah, were quarantined at the San Fernando Teaching Hospital for three days having visited her on October 14.
The sister said Ryce was unable to walk properly due to an injury sustained in a childhood accident. She said Ryce was an outpatient at the hospital for years as she suffered with diabetes, hypertension and other ailments, and was even warded at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after slipping into a coma.
Recently she underwent an eye surgery and due to medical complications, she was enrolled in a clinic. She explained that when Ryce went to the hospital for a schedule clinic appointment on October 8, she was doing well and had no symptoms of the cold or swine flu. She added that her sister has never left the country and had no foreign visitors in recent times.
Based on her medical condition, further tests were needed and Ryce was admitted to a ward where she said patients and doctors wore mask.
“Even while she was suspected of having H1N1, the doctor at ICU told us there were other cases at the ward where she was and even one at ICU. We were told that there were cases of H1N1 since the last administration but when patients die, they put the cause as pneumonia,” the sister said.
She added that when another sister visited on October 10 with her new-born baby, staff there told her that the child was not allowed because it was an infectious ward. On October 14, Jennel and Isaiah visited Ryce at the hospital.
Ryce’s sister said: “It was Saturday when the pathologist found out her cause of death. He told Jennel to check her son out at the ward because he got the cold after visiting his grandmother. She took him to casualty where she waited for two hours before the doctor called her.
“They gave the baby a nebulizer, took blood from him and quarantined both of them in a room at the teaching hospital by themselves.
“They told her that she had to remain there until Sunday when a special doctor would come to see them. For three days doctors came wearing special suits. They pushed food through a hole for them to eat until they were discharged on Monday evening.”
Ryce’s sister said Jennel and Isaiah returned to the hospital for a review yesterday but doctors told them more tests needed to be done to determine whether he has swine flu.
Contacted yesterday, medical director of SFGH Dr Anand Chattergoon said he was unaware of the death and would be speaking with Prof Daisley to learn more. He said he tried contacting Daisley yesterday without success.
Pandemic
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 14,286 people died worldwide during the 2009 swine flu pandemic of which there were 237 deaths in Central America and Caribbean region. Barbados confirmed four cases; Cuba, one; Dominican Republic, 93 and Jamaica, 33. One death was confirmed in Trinidad, with several other being treated for the virus.
However, there were several other suspected deaths in 2009. There were also two confirmed swine flu deaths in 2013.
