by Emmanuel H. Joseph
Government Information Service
Ministry of Health has recently put in place a hotline for those who may have symptoms of what has been dubbed the Swine Flu virus. That number is 1 767 285 8100.
Hospital medical Director Dr. Curwin Ferreira is urging those with flu-like symptoms who have travelled recently or came in contact with an infected person, to stay indoors and contact the hospital using the hotline number. According to Dr. Ferreira, this is one way to help reduce the possibility of infection.
A separate ward has been designated for screen purposes while the Red Cross building has been singled out as the venue in the event of a full blown epidemic.
The Ministry of Health has established that there is only one confirmed case of Swine Flu in Dominica. The individual is said to have contracted the illness while in the United States.
In the meantime, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has since told its member nations that it has declared a Swine Flu pandemic, the first global flu pandemic in forty-one (41) years. The move came on Thursday, June 4, 2009, as infections climbed in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and elsewhere. In a statement sent to member countries, WHO said it decided to raise the pandemic alert level from phase five (5) to six (6) meaning that a global outbreak of Swine Flu had begun. The decision was made after the United Nations Health Agency held an emergency meeting on Swine Flu with its experts.
The last pandemic, the Hong Kong Flu of 1968, killed about one million (1 000 000) people. Since the new flu strain first emerged in Mexico in April, it has spread to seventy-four (74) countries around the globe.
On Wednesday, 12th June, WHO reported twenty-seven thousand, seven hundred and thirty-seven (27, 737) cases including one hundred and forty-one (141) deaths. The agency has stressed that most cases are mild and require no treatment. However, the fear is that a rash of new infections could overwhelm hospitals and health authorities across the globe.
Here are a few ways you could protect yourself from the influenza A H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water especially after your cough or sneeze. Alcohol based hand cleaners are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- In the event that you become ill with Influenza A H1N1 symptoms including fever, body aches, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, nausea or vomiting or diarrhoea, you should stay at home and avoid contact with other people.
Remember, the emergency hotline number is (767) 285 8100. |
