…but health ministry on top of things
Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy is advising anyone with flu-like symptoms to visit their doctor or local health centre and says the ministry will continue to give regular updates as he feels it is only a matter of time before the H1N1 flu reaches Guyana.
Suriname became the latest Caribbean country to report the presence of the virus; 11 members of a sports team that recently visited Trinidad were confirmed to have the virus. Several other Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, Cuba and Barbados have reported the flu’s presence. The World Health Organisation last week declared the flu, which is present in over 70 countries, a pandemic and advised governments to prepare for a long-term battle against an unstoppable new flu virus.
Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday, the minister said all physicians have clear protocols issued by his ministry to follow when dealing with persons who complain of flu-like symptoms. He said while doctors would be unable to confirm whether a person has contracted the flu they would be able to eliminate some as those likely to be affected must have recently travelled to a country with infections or have had contact with persons who would have done so.
He said hundreds of persons have been eliminated in recent times by doctors but when they are in doubt they would contact the ministry.
Meanwhile, in direct response to Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon’s assertion that the ministry is going “overboard” in its response to the flu virus, Ramsammy said Luncheon may be right “about overreacting by us being pro-active”. However, the minister said he would rather his ministry overreact and not have a single case of the flu in Guyana than not do anything and have a case.
“If you are not out there testing you may not be able to pick up a positive case right away and there may be a delay in us finding out that there is indeed a case,” the minister said. He said when the flu arrives in Guyana it is important that it be known immediately.
“At the end of the day we might very well find that we have overreacted but I don’t mind, in fact it is a deliberate ploy and it has been the case of my ministry in responding to any health issue,” the minister said.
The minister said that out of 14 suspicious cases tested two have been confirmed not positive. He said he does not expect that any of the remaining cases would be positive. But he stressed that systems must be put in place and his ministry also had to continue testing and adjusting to how the system works.
“It [testing the system] provides us with the training,” the minister said adding that if he had not made it public that there were some suspicious cases the press may have gotten wind of it and reported it and then his ministry would have had to do damage control. The minister cautioned that there should be no panic as the health sector is “on top of things.”
“But I am certain that Guyana would get its first case sooner rather than later,” the minister said and the public should be kept abreast and have the confidence that the ministry is doing what needs to be done.
Since the outbreak Guyana’s health ministry has taken a number of steps as precautionary measures and it had announced that in the event that there is an outbreak of the flu in Guyana the West Demerara Regional Hospital will be used for surge capacity and to quarantine infected patients.
Routine activities at the airport are continuing as they relate to port health and while travel has not been restricted the ministry had warned that more intrusive plans were on the cards to protect the nation’s borders if necessary. Airlines have since been written to by the ministry to remind them of their obligations under the International Health Regulations as it relates to the Aircraft Health Declaration and to inform them that this will be enforced.
A committee comprising representatives from a number of non-governmental organisations, line ministries and international and donor agencies, including PAHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, CDC and USAID, has since been established to monitor the situation.
Daily Syndromic Surveillance Reporting with a special focus on influenza type illnesses was commenced at all hospitals and responders who were trained during the Avian Flu situation have been activated and are ready to take action should the need arise.
The ministry had also assured that 20,000 doses of Tamiflu were available to treat the flu should the need arise.
Symptoms of ‘swine flu’ in people are similar to those of regular or seasonal flu and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some with ‘swine flu’ also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Precautions
The ministry had advised persons to:
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Discard used tissue safely in a covered bin.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people. Direct all persons who are sick to seek medical attention.
• If you get sick, please seek medical attention immediately at the nearest health facility. Public and private hospitals around Guyana are open 24 hours, seven days per week and health centres operate during working hours on weekdays.
