Health Officials are Reporting an outbreak of Swine Flu in Dominica

The Ministry of Health has announced that there is an outbreak of the H1N1/Swine Flu in Dominica.

Chief Medical Officer Dr David Johnson says nine cases have been reported thus far.

“Since the outbreak of the H1N1 in April, we have now identified nine cases in Dominica.  By all indications, it seems to be the virus circulating and we can say that it is as a result of the Swine Flu,” he said.

According to Johnson, none of the nine persons were severely ill and they were treated at their homes.

“We had no deaths as a result of the virus however we have had several admissions. We have had 12 persons admitted. All the cases are below 15years of age. Sufficient quantity of the drugs to manage the situation. It is expected to be distributed to all the health districts in Dominica,” he said.

Dr. Johnson says there are specific guidelines in terms of individuals who are at risk of developing severe complications.

Meantime Health Minister John Fabien says Dominicans could expect to see more Swine Flu cases during the tourist seasons.

“The H1N1 continue to affect a number of countries and in Dominica we expect that as winter approaches we will see a new surge. We to in the Caribbean must be vigilant because as the tourist season starts, persons will come to the Caribbean for vacation so we expect a lot more cases in our midst,” he said.

The health Minister says Dominica’s hospital is not equipped to deal with an influx of persons affected with the disease, hence taking precaution is essential.

“We have to take all the measures to reduce the number of cases that we have in Dominica. We have to continue to ensure that people practice sanitary measures especially when we sneeze. Hand washing is critical. We have to minimize our interaction with groups. If we can do this we can always reduce the number of cases by a very large percentage. If a lot of people get sick our hospital is not equipped to deal with a large number of cases at any one time,” he said.

Fabien says he is also worried about the health professionals becoming ill in that regard.

Meantime National Epidemiologist Dr Paul Rickets says one’s lifestyle could make him/her more prone to Swine Flu.

He says excessive drinking and prolonged mingling could increase ones chances.