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Minister of Health?s Statement on Cayman?s First H1N1 Death

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  • Minister of Health?s Statement on Cayman?s First H1N1 Death



    Minister of Health’s Statement on Cayman’s First H1N1 Death


    Friday 24th July, 2009 Posted: 21:32 CIT (02:32 +1 GMT)

    Late this afternoon, CAREC’s lab in Trinidad confirmed that the 31–year–old male resident of Caribbean Haven, who died this week, had H1N1 flu, commonly known as swine flu.

    Health officials, who have been in contact with the family from the start, have met with the family and shared this information with them. On behalf of government, I again offer condolences to the family, for their loss.

    We all hoped that no one in Cayman would be severely affected by H1N1. But this unfortunate death shows that as a country, we face the same challenges in managing this illness, as do other countries around the world. Sadly, it is a fact that persons with underlying medical conditions, such as the young man who passed away, are susceptible to serious complications, and sometimes death.

    Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kiran Kumar and his team visited Caribbean Haven immediately following the resident’s death, in order to counsel residents and staff. They also tested those who had flu symptoms, and offered them the drug Tamiflu as treatment. As a preventative measure, Tamiflu was also offered to staff and residents who did not have flu symptoms.

    Health officials will provide further details on H1N1 in Cayman at a press briefing on Monday.

    I remind the public that government does have adequate supplies of Tamiflu. I also remind them to do their part, by remaining calm and following public health advisories. It is very important that we understand that H1N1, as well as seasonal flu, are national health issues. We all have important roles in preventing their spread.


    Source: http://www.caymannetnews.com/news-17044--1-1---.html

    Authorities probe death

    Published on Wednesday, July 22, 2009

    Authorities are testing a deceased 31-year-old male former resident of Government’s drug rehabilitation facility Caribbean Haven to see if the H1N1 “swine” flu is complicit in his Monday morning death at the Cayman Islands Hospital.

    Dr Greg Hoeksema, Medical Director of the Health Services Authority, told a press conference on Monday afternoon that while local preliminary testing had indicated the deceased was not a victim of the H1N1 influenza virus, known commonly as “swine flu”, authorities would send samples to Trinidad’s Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) to confirm the diagnosis.


    “We got the (local) test results back awhile ago,” Dr Hoeksema said, indicating the death “was not related to pandemic H1N1 or any other viruses.

    “It indicates the vigilance with which we are trying to protect Cayman that the testing started to monitor unusual presentations or manifestations of illness,” he said. “Because the WHO [World Health Organisation] has said the spread of the disease is unstoppable, we are monitoring to make sure this is not a mutation of the virus, so we are sending it to CAREC to make sure.”

    The victim, who remains unidentified, had been in hospital “for a couple of days”, Dr Hoeksema said. He declined to indicate the cause of death, however, saying “we know what our clinical suspicion is and what the presentation was, and it is possible he had H1N1, and that’s why we are sending the samples to CAREC.”


    Cayman has 41 recorded cases of H1N1, 19 imported, 30 without a history of travel to infected areas, 14 the result of contract with other infected persons and 16 with no known contact.

    Dr Hoeksema cautioned that while symptoms remained modest, the disease was still a global pandemic, could mutate into a more severe form and predicted a new wave of infections in the autumn.

    According to the WHO, past pandemic influenza viruses have needed more than six months to spread as widely as the new H1N1 virus has spread in less than six weeks. The organisation also reported that the virus appeared to have developed a resistance to Tamiflu, the only known treatment for the disease.
    Last edited by Shiloh; July 25, 2009, 02:12 PM. Reason: Added and earlier article abt. the case
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