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Teenager is Barbados' first swine flu case
Barbados' acting Health Minister Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner says there is no need to panic even though one case of the swine flu virus has been confirmed in the island. (BGIS photo)
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, June 4, 2009 - Even as a 19-year-old male with no travel history was confirmed as Barbados' first case of the H1N1 virus, the authorities were urging calm and seeking to assure the public that the situation is "controllable".
Acting Health Minister Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner, who said the case was confirmed in testing done by the laboratory of the Caribbean Epidemiology Research Centre (CAREC), revealed that the Barbadian teenager has a mild case of the virus, commonly called the swine flu virus, and has therefore not been hospitalised.
She explained that he is under quarantine at his home. The young man's identity has not been released.
Barbados is the fourth country in the English-speaking Caribbean to confirm the virus that has already claimed 117 lives in other parts of the world.
Jamaica has confirmed two and the Bahamas and Bermuda one each. But unlike the case in Barbados, all three of those persons recently travelled to the United States where over 10,000 cases have been reported.
But both the acting Health Minister and senior medical officer Dr Elizabeth Ferdinand have called for calm.
Although acknowledging that the authorities were unable to keep the disease at bay, Sandiford-Garner said there has been increased surveillance at the island's ports and no effort is being spared to prevent the spread of the virus.
"Our public health officials will continue to undertake all protective measures as are needed at this time," she said.
"Fortunately for us, the Ministry has been proactive and we have trained some 2400 Barbadians, in an effort to deal with this situation, should it have occurred. We are confident that this situation is controllable," she said.
Also urging Barbadians not to panic, Dr Ferdinand added that medical authorities are on top of the situation.
She has encoaurged citizens to continue good hygiene practices, including covering noses and mouths when coughing and sneezing, proper disposal of tissues and thorough hand washing.
More than 19,000 cases of the H1N1 virus have been recorded so far.
The H1N1 virus can be easily transmitted from person to person, but most persons who become ill with this condition are likely to experience only mild forms of illness. The symptoms are similar to regular influenza and include: fever, chills, cough, stuffy nose, headache, fatigue, sore throat, body aches and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.
Barbados' acting Health Minister Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner says there is no need to panic even though one case of the swine flu virus has been confirmed in the island. (BGIS photo)
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, June 4, 2009 - Even as a 19-year-old male with no travel history was confirmed as Barbados' first case of the H1N1 virus, the authorities were urging calm and seeking to assure the public that the situation is "controllable".
Acting Health Minister Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner, who said the case was confirmed in testing done by the laboratory of the Caribbean Epidemiology Research Centre (CAREC), revealed that the Barbadian teenager has a mild case of the virus, commonly called the swine flu virus, and has therefore not been hospitalised.
She explained that he is under quarantine at his home. The young man's identity has not been released.
Barbados is the fourth country in the English-speaking Caribbean to confirm the virus that has already claimed 117 lives in other parts of the world.
Jamaica has confirmed two and the Bahamas and Bermuda one each. But unlike the case in Barbados, all three of those persons recently travelled to the United States where over 10,000 cases have been reported.
But both the acting Health Minister and senior medical officer Dr Elizabeth Ferdinand have called for calm.
Although acknowledging that the authorities were unable to keep the disease at bay, Sandiford-Garner said there has been increased surveillance at the island's ports and no effort is being spared to prevent the spread of the virus.
"Our public health officials will continue to undertake all protective measures as are needed at this time," she said.
"Fortunately for us, the Ministry has been proactive and we have trained some 2400 Barbadians, in an effort to deal with this situation, should it have occurred. We are confident that this situation is controllable," she said.
Also urging Barbadians not to panic, Dr Ferdinand added that medical authorities are on top of the situation.
She has encoaurged citizens to continue good hygiene practices, including covering noses and mouths when coughing and sneezing, proper disposal of tissues and thorough hand washing.
More than 19,000 cases of the H1N1 virus have been recorded so far.
The H1N1 virus can be easily transmitted from person to person, but most persons who become ill with this condition are likely to experience only mild forms of illness. The symptoms are similar to regular influenza and include: fever, chills, cough, stuffy nose, headache, fatigue, sore throat, body aches and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.
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