Jamaica's Response to WHO's Declaration of the H1N1 Flu Pandemic

H1N1 is Serious Business
Originally uploaded by niobite

Today, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Margaret Chang, declared the Influenza A (H1N1) virus (formerly called the Swine Flu), a pandemic.

This means that it has spread to more than two (2) regions of the world, with rising cases in the UK, Australia, Japan and Chile. 

This makes the H1N1 flu pandemic, the first pandemic in 40 years.

The virus has spread to 74 countries and over 30,000 persons are infected. 140 people have died, worldwide.

NB:Those especially at risk of death are those who have respiratory illnesses like pneumonia or emphysema.

There are currently 11 persons affected in Jamaica. Ten (10) got it whilst travelling to New York while the other person contracted it from being in contact with an infected person who had travelled to New York.

The Jamaican Ministry of Health (MOH) has stepped up its mechanisms to contract the spread of the virus, locally.  

In addition to:

• Persons who have travelled and who have flu symptoms being asked to check in with their doctor or heath centre 

  
  

• The constant surveillance and presence of a nurse's station at the island's ports of entry...

Dr. Sheila Campbell-Forrester, Chief Medical Officer, MOH, stated that:

1. Two following local testing centres have been established:

   
   

   a) The Caribbean Epidemiology Centre

   b) The University of the West Indies

   
   

2. Additional equipment has been received, on island this week, to increase the turnaround time for identification of the disease. This means that 96 samples per time, can be tested.

   
   

3. GPS mapping is being done of infected cases and those they may have come into contact with them

   
   

4. So far four hundred (400) cases have been tested, with eleven (11) persons confirmed.

   
   

5. Ensuring the proper working condition of Isolation rooms in all public hospitals. (That they are self-contained with a bathroom and bed and have proper lighting and ventillation).

(I would like to thank for niobite for the use of his Flickr inset photo, "H1N1 is Serious Business", above).

Please visit the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website for more detailed information on the H1N1 virus.

Gillian

Source Includes

Programme - Cover Story, on Nationwide Radio, June 11, 2009