Ghana Records 1st Case of Swine Flu (Front Page)

GHANA has recorded its first case of H1N1 (swine flu) in the Greater Accra Region.
Another suspected case, which is still under investigation, was reported at the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital in the Western Region.
The Accra patient, who is a young woman and said to have been infected by a brother who came from the United Kingdom, went to a health facility with mild symptoms of influenza but further checks detected the presence of the virus.
The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, briefed journalists on the first recorded case of the disease in the country at a press conference in Accra yesterday.
With him were the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Elias K. Sory, his deputy, Dr George Amofah, the two Deputy Ministers of Information, Mr Joseph Agyenim-Boateng and Mr Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwah, as well as officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ministry of Health (MoH).
Dr Kumbuor said the woman was currently on admission at a hospital and was responding to treatment, while members of her family were under surveillance.
The deputy minister gave the assurance that the country was not in a crisis but was quick to add that there was the need to take precautionary measures and follow the pieces of advice provided by health experts.
He said the health authorities had been vigilant and, with support from the WHO, had put in place measures to check the spread of the disease.
He said a national technical committee which had been set up met regularly to monitor and review the situation periodically.
Additionally, instructions had been issued to the regional health directorates to establish similar committees to be on the alert and report on cases of the disease with dispatch, he said.
Dr Kunbuor said in collaboration with the WHO, the country had procured drugs for the treatment of patients, adding that some of the drugs had been sent to the regional medical stores and regional hospitals for early release for the management of cases.
The deputy minister announced that the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research had been designated by the WHO as diagnostic centre for the disease.
Swine flu is a deadly respiratory disease caused by a strain of the influenza type A virus known as H1N1.
It is a new influenza virus causing illness in people. This new virus was first detected in people in the United States in April 2009. Other countries, including Mexico and Canada, have reported people sick with this new virus.
The virus is spread from person to person, probably in much the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread.
The virus was originally referred to as “swine flu” because laboratory testing showed that many of the genes in it were very similar to influenza viruses that normally occur in pigs in North America. But further study has shown that this new virus is very different from what normally circulates in North American pigs.
The symptoms of the novel H1N1 flu virus in people are similar to the symptoms of flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.
A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus have also reported diarrhoea and vomiting.
There is no vaccine available right now to protect against H1N1 virus.
There are certain people who are at higher risk of serious flu-related complications. These include people 65 years and older, children younger than five, pregnant women and people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions.
Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with influenza.
Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.
Currently, it is believed that the virus has the same properties in terms of spread as seasonal flu viruses. With seasonal flu, studies have shown that people may be contagious from one day before they develop symptoms to up to seven days after they get sick.
Children, especially younger children, may potentially be contagious for longer periods.
The H1N1 viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get infected with HIN1 virus from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is, therefore, safe.
As there is no vaccine available right now to protect against the novel H1N1 virus, there are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza.
One needs to take these everyday steps to protect his or her health:
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze; throw the tissue in the trash after you use it; wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze (alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective) and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Other precautionary measures are that one has to avoid close contact with sick people; stay home if one is sick for seven days after symptoms begin or until one has been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer. This is to keep one from infecting others and spreading the virus further.