How Ministry of Health ramping up as Chikungunya, Zika, Dengue and H1N1 attack Jamaican at Champs

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Quotation from Revelations 6:7-8, King James Version

Looks like Jamaica is caught in a four way battled with viruses; Chikungunya, Zika, Dengue and H1N1 (Influenza A).

The ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletic Championships, is set to get underway from Tuesday March 15^th to Saturday March 19^th 2016 at the National Stadium as reported in the article “2016 Boys And Girls’ Champs Launched”, published Wednesday March 2, 2016 by Shayne Fairman, The Jamaica Gleaner.

But first, a quick joke about the Ebola Virus.

 

Still, this is no joking matter once Champs is involved!

Ticket sales have been slow as noted in the article “Quiet Start To Champs Ticket Sales At National Stadium”, published Saturday March 12, 2016 by Andre Lowe, The Jamaica Gleaner, possibly because many Jamaicans are still recovering from General Elections 2016.

But I suspect it may also be that many Jamaicans fear becoming ill after going to the National Stadium, as it'll be the perfect way for these viruses to more rapidly spread islandwide as predicted in my blog article entitled “How Jamaica's February 2016 Sports Calendar will help spread the Zika Virus”. 

So fancy coming to Kingston and being infected by all four at the same time?

Virus to spread thanks to Champs - Track and Field and Viruses mingle

Let’s do a roundup of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse now running amok through Jamaica.

First, the H1N1 (Influenza A), more commonly called swine flu, is on a rampage as noted in my blog article entitled “How 4 Jamaicans dead and 35 infected as H1N1 (Influenza A) goes on a Rampage”.

It’s already killed four persons, all elderly, including a 49-year-old woman medical doctor Dr. Suzanna Roye,  as reported in my blog article entitled “Why Dr. Suzanna Roye died from Influenza A (H1N1) as Ministry of Health stocks up on Tamiflu”.

There is now a total of thirty five (35) Jamaican infected with H1N1:

1.      28 adults

2.      7 Children

Seven (7) more from Clarendon are suspected to have this highly contagious and deadly version of the flu since Friday March 11^th, 2016 as noted in the article “Three Suspected H1N1 Cases In Clarendon – Medical Officer”, published Friday March 11, 2016, The Jamaica Gleaner.

And at the rate it is spreading, everyone will have it by Easter 2016.

Zika and Chikungunya Tag Team - No sex or babies if you want to remain healthy

Then there is the Zika Virus, for which only one case has been officially reported, making me suspect a cover-up as noted in my blog article entitled “Why the Ministry of Health is covering up Local Transmission of Zika Virus in Jamaica”. 

Something tells me that the Zika Virus is a sleeping time bomb, as it's now being shown to cause Microcephaly, acute myelitis and Guillain-Barré syndrome as noted in my blog article entitled “How the Zika Virus now connected to Microcephaly, acute myelitis and Guillain-Barré syndrome”.

Not to mention being sexually transmitted, making condom a potentially hot seller at ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletic Championships……..for adults of course!

As if this wasn't enough, Chikungunya Virus is coming back for part two with St. Catherine on Thursday March 10^th, 2016 reporting two new cases as noted in the article entitled “St Catherine Records Two New Chik V Cases”, published Thursday March 10, 2016, The Jamaica Gleaner.

So no sex or babies and drink plenty of Water and take multivitamins….. if you want to remain healthy!

New Lab for Viral Testing at UHWI - More Vaccine will be needed as Social Gatherings spread disease

This time around, the Ministry of Health has decided to actually spend some money where it's really needed; Detection.

They recently plunked down some JA$10 million to upgrade the National Virology Reference Laboratory at the UHWI (University Hospital of the West Indies) to be able to test for Zika, H1N1 (Influenza A) and Chikungunya as reported in the article “Jamaica now fully equipped to test for ZIKA”, published Friday, March 11, 2016, The Jamaica Observer.

This lab makes it unnecessary for Jamaica to send samples to Trinidad and Tobago-based CARPHA (Caribbean Public Health Agency) and wait seven (7) days to get the results as noted in the article “Local ZIKV-Testing Lab Kicks Off Operations Today”, Published Monday March 7, 2016, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Vaccination against H1N1 (Influenza A) is coming for doctors and nurses, with 700 already vaccinated out of the 5000 order by the Ministry of Health as reported in the article “Get Vaccinated - Senior Medical Doctor Urges Action Against H1N1”, Published Saturday March 12, 2016, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Those 5000 H1N1 Vaccines that Minister of Health Dr. Christopher Tufton mentioned breaks down as follows:

1.      1000 from Trinidad and Tobago

2.      3000 from PAHO (Pan American Health Organization)

3.      1000 from Belize

I suspect he'll have to order 100 times that number as reported in “Ministry Stepping Up Procurement Of Flu Vaccines For Frontline Health Workers”, Published Friday March 11, 2016, The Jamaica Gleaner.

The flu season is expected to end in the next six to eight weeks. But I suspect with gathering like ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls’ Athletic Championships and the rainy season coming at the end of June 2016, the four horsemen of Viruses will be with us a lot longer.