Govt Releases money to fight H1N1

TWO million Ghana cedis has been released by the government to help contain the spread of H1N1 influenza in the country.
At the moment, a total of 10 persons have been infected with the disease. All the 10 are persons who have either returned from abroad or have had contacts with others who have returned from abroad.
So far, eight of the patients have been treated and cleared of the virus, while the last two, a man who returned from Dubai and his wife, are being cared for in their home.
The Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, told the Daily Graphic that the fund was meant for various purposes in fighting the disease and mentioned public education and acquisition of the needed materials for diagnostic testing at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), which was the World Health Organisation (WHO) designated laboratory.
Other items are medicines for treatment, as well as protective kits for health workers.
The Health Minister reiterated the need for Ghanaians to adhere to the advice from health professionals to protect themselves from the deadly H1N1 influenza.
Information provided by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Accra showed that regular washing of hands with soap, rubbing the hands with alcohol, where available, and keeping a distance of at least one metre from an infected person to avoid coming into contact with the influenza droplets were highly recommended.
In addition, if contact with a sick person or with potentially infected person or objects occurs, those involved must not touch their eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
Signs of influenza H1N1 are similar to those of common cold, which include fever, cough, headache, muscle and joint pains, sore throat and runny nose, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhoea. Health experts say one thing that stands out during infection of the new flu is the intense nature of the fever associated with it.
For his part, the Director of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Dr Alex Nyarko, told the Daily Graphic that about 100 suspected cases had been tested at the institute, out of which 10 had been proved positive.
He said since it was a national problem, the MoH was providing all the necessary materials needed for testing of cases which they received from other health facilities.
Dr Nyarko gave the assurance that the situation was under control as the institute had the expertise and equipment to handle the situation.