Swine Flu death - JamaicaObserver.com

Saturday, November 07, 2009 11:57 PM

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Swine Flu death

Swine Flu death

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

JAMAICA yesterday recorded its first death from the Influenza A H1N1 virus, commonly called Swine Flu, prompting the health minister to ask a team of doctors to probe the incident and report to him Friday when he returns to the island.

"I have heard about it. I have ordered an investigation," Spencer told the Observer in a telephone interview from Geneva, Switzerland where he's attending the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Annual Ministerial Meeting.

Last night, the health ministry admitted that the patient died at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston yesterday morning after being transferred from the Spanish Town Hospital.

"The patient suffered complications from the virus and was also experiencing an underlying medical condition," the ministry said in a news release.

The ministry included yesterday's death in the 33 confirmed cases of Influenza A H1N1 detected on the island. Most of the infected persons have recovered.
The health ministry at the end of May confirmed the first two cases of the virus in the island but assured the country then that both incidents were quickly detected and contained.

Ministry officials said then that the two cases - one in St Catherine and the other in St Andrew - were imported by persons who travelled to New York City.
On July 24, health ministry officials admitted that there was local spread of the virus that first gained world attention in Mexico four months before.

Efforts by the Government to contain a spread of the virus resulted in the Ministry of Education closing all schools in the mid-island parish of Manchester in late June after what it said was the detection of the virus in two students. The ministry also closed one school in Westmoreland "out of an abundance of caution" amid concerns about an Influenza outbreak there, even though there was no confirmed case of the virus at the school.

Last night, the health ministry issued a reminder to persons with severe symptoms of Influenza, which include diarrhoea, vomiting, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and persistent symptoms that are getting worse, to visit their healthcare provider immediately.

The ministry also reiterated the need for persons to observe personal hygiene practices by washing hands frequently with soap and water and covering their nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing, preferably with a tissue, which should be disposed of properly.

Persons who are in the high risk group for complications from Influenza A (H1N1) include children under five years old, the elderly and persons with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma.

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