The Ministry of Public Health has received confirmation that a Guyanese patient who was hospitalised after displaying symptoms of swine flu has indeed been infected with the H1N1 virus which causes the disease.
The patient who was being treated at a private hospital has since been transferred by his family to a facility overseas.
According to Minister of Public Health Dr George Norton the patient who had returned to Guyana from China via the United States and Trinidad and Tobago was treated at a private hospital for two weeks; however his family has since had him transferred to the United States for treatment.
Norton had previously told Stabroek News that the “aged gentleman” had died. However, he explained yesterday that he had “mistakenly been fed that information by a junior officer in the ministry.”
He explained that though the patient’s family have decided to seek treatment elsewhere the ministry took all the precautionary measures.
“We collected samples from the gentleman and forwarded it to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) for testing. Immediately upon receipt of confirmation of the virus’s presence we made contact with the medical practitioners and family members who had been in contact with the patient and advised them to seek treatment immediately if they began displaying any symptoms.” Norton said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in humans the symptoms of the ‘swine flu’ are similar to those of influenza and influenza-like illness in general. The symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, watery eyes, body aches, shortness of breath, headache, weight loss, chills, sneezing, runny nose, dizziness, abdominal pain, lack of appetite and fatigue. The virus is also spread when infected people cough or sneeze, and other people breathe in the virus or touch something with the virus on it and then touch their own face.
The minister continues to stress that Guyana is fully prepared to deal with the virus. He reiterated that a national task force inclusive of specially trained medical personnel, as well as the port health officers are ready to handle any situation which may develop.
He also noted that the ministry is in possession of enough vaccine to treat medical practitioners if necessary.
“The vaccine is there but we will only begin inoculating persons if it becomes necessary. One case as isolated as this one appears to be is no reason for panic,” Norton said, adding that he expects there to be no opposition from medical practitioners or the public if it becomes necessary to have widespread inoculation, as Guyanese have a good “track record” of complying with vaccination programmes.
The H1N1 virus is a strain of influenza which in 2009 was considered a novel strain. In that year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the H1N1 strain of influenza a pandemic. By the beginning of 2010 the virus was responsible for approximately 17,000 deaths worldwide. Since that time a vaccine has been approved for use, with research showing a single dose creates enough antibodies to protect against the virus within about 10 days.
The Trinidad Express reported on December 28 that neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago had seen four deaths and 41 reported cases of the swine flu last year.
After the number of confirmed cases reached 29 a public inoculation campaign began in the twin island republic. This campaign has faced several challenges with the Express reporting that nurses had refused to take the vaccine and that several health centres in Trinidad had run out of it after large number of residents begin seeking vaccination.
This ‘shortage’ in some areas has led to some “private doctors reportedly charging persons as much as TT$400,” the Express said.
