The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment through its routine and ongoing monitoring and surveillance activities have picked up one laboratory-confirmed case of Influenza A H1N1 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for the year 2019. The patient has made a full recovery without complications.
In a release, the Ministry said that Influenza A H1N1 (commonly called “swine flu”) is caused by a respiratory virus. Since 2009, Influenza A H1N1 joined the other respiratory viruses which are common in the region during the flu season.
The Ministry especially encourages food handlers around this time – to frequently wash their hands with soap and running water especially after coughing, sneezing, before preparing food or eating. – to use Alcohol-based hand sanitisers which contain at least 60% alcohol may also be used to clean your hands – to use household bleach to disinfect shared surfaces and objects such as doorknobs and telephones that may have become contaminated with the influenza virus.
The release went on to say that most people who become infected with influenza will recover in a few days to less than two weeks, but some people can develop complications some of which may be life-threatening.
The Ministry, therefore, seeks to remind members of the public to be proactive and take the necessary precautions to reduce the risk of transmission of influenza and other respiratory viruses.
