Well folks, for those of you in the loop, the H1N1 Virus
is in Jamaica as reported Thursday February 11th 2016.
So a quick recap is in order in case you were living
under a rock since the start of February 2016 in fear of the Zika Virus as
noted in my blog
article entitled “How
Jamaica's February 2016 Sports Calendar will help spread the Zika Virus”.
The first case of Influenza A (H1N1), also known as Swine
Flu, is actually two patients, a 10 month old child and an adult as reported in
the article “10-Month-Old
Child, Adult Admitted To UHWI With Swine Flu”, published Thursday February
11, 2016, The Jamaica Gleaner.
Both had been transferred to the UHWI (University
Hospital of the West Indies) from Mandeville. Since that first case, some nine
(9) more have been confirmed Thursday, February 18, 2016 by Acting Chief
Medical Officer at the Ministry of Health, Dr Winston De La Haye as reported in
the article “9
cases of H1N1 virus confirmed – Chief Medical Officer”, published Thursday,
February 18, 2016, The Jamaica
Observer.
All of who are being treated at the UHWI.
Clearly, the Influenza A (H1N1) is spreading rapidly
in Jamaica and most likely may have come via Jamaican travelling from Trinidad
and Tobago where the virus has already killed three (3) persons as reported in
my blog article
entitled “29
infected 3 dead from H1N1 in Trinidad - How the Influenza A (H1N1) virus can
come to Jamaica”.
So do we have to be fearful of the Influenza A
(H1N1) aka Swine Flu?
H1N1
kills a Jamaican - How the H1N1 Virus is now more important than Zika
Now for the bad news; one of the patients has died
as reported on Saturday February 20th 2016, albeit no one is sure if it from
H1N1 as noted in the article “Patient
being treated for H1N1 dies”, published Saturday, February 20, 2016, The Jamaica Observer.
Strangely, the victim isn't the original 10 month
old child and an adult or any of the nine originally reported on Thursday,
February 18, 2016. Rather, the victim is a doctor who was treating the patients
infected with H1N1 as noted in the article “Doctor
First To Die From Swine Flu-Related Issues, Illness Now On High Alert List”,
published Saturday February 20, 2016, The
Jamaica Gleaner.
The female doctor who died is one of two (2) female
doctors transferred via helicopter to the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) at the UHWI
from Mandeville. The other female doctor is responding well to treatment and is
recovering slowly.
Ok, so now that the H1N1 Virus is a confirmed
killer, what can we do to avoid getting sick?
H1N1
Virus – Avoid physical contact and stock up on Vitamin C and Vitamin B12
complex
Since then, the H1N1 Virus has been upgraded from a
Category II to a Category I illness.
This means that as soon as an infected patient is
diagnosed with the illness, the hospital has to report it to the Ministry of
Health within 24 hours instead of 1 week.
The symptoms of the Influenza A (H1N1) virus are as
follows:
1. Dry
cough
2. Headache
3. High
fever
4. Muscle
and joint pains
5. Runny
nose
6. Sore
throat
7. Tiredness
8. Unwell
feeling
Most people recover after one or two weeks with
Doctors prescribing the following drugs for the above symptoms:
1. Panadol/Tylenol
2. DPH
3. Claritine
[loratidine]
4. Cetirizine
5. Fexofenadine
Panadol/Tylenol is an Acetaminophen and is taken to
relieve the Muscle and joint pains. DPH, claritine [loratidine], cetirizine, or
fexofenadine with pseudoephedrine is used to reduce sneezing and the production
of mucus and sputum.
Alternatively, you can use highly concentrated
Garlic and Pineapple juice direct from the pineapple to treat the cough as
noted in my blog
article entitled “Why
JP Tropical Foods Pineapples will be a hit in Jamaica this Christmas”.
The disease becomes a killer when it infects someone
with a weak immune system i.e.:
1. Elderly
2. Infants
3. Persons
with chronic medical conditions, such as heart, lung, kidney disease, diabetes and Asthma
4. Pregnant
women
5. Young
children
Prevention, not treatment, is best as this virus is
transmitted through contact with the fluids of the infected persons. There are
several things that both the public as well as health care workers can use to
reduce the spread of Influenza A (H1N1) virus:
1. Avoid
contact with persons with flu-like symptoms
2. Avoid
intimate contact including hand shaking and kissing
3. Cover
your mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing
4. Health
care workers wearing specialized masks and other PPE
5. Wash
your hands frequently and properly
Bulking up on Vitamin C and B12 Complex can also
help, as fruit and vegetables cannot supply enough to ward off these infections
as noted in my blog
article entitled “Vitamin
C and the Chikungunya Virus - How to increase your Vitamin C Intake,
Glutathione and Interferon by White Blood Cells”.
As for me, I'm making plans to buy some more Vitamin
B12 complex, as my stash is running out………..
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