NewsWhore
04-27-2009, 05:10 PM
Any hospital or medical center that has treated a case of the flu must report it to the Epidemiology Monitoring System, a Ministry of Public Health department. The goal is to prevent a swine flu outbreak, and if it does happen, to stop its spread in the DR before it gets out of control.
There have yet to be any reported cases of swine flu in the DR. Public Health Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez says that instructions have been issued to all hospitals and medical centers and that all port and airport personnel have been instructed to evaluate all passengers arriving from countries where cases of swine flu have been reported. Rojas added that any flu sample found in the DR would be sent to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the US, to determine if it is in fact swine flu.
Minster Rojas is asking all Dominicans to be extremely vigilant when it comes to hygiene. This means washing hands frequently, and using disposable napkins in the case of a cold. One cannot catch the flu by eating pork. The CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with swine influenza viruses.
The spread of swine flu was first reported in Mexico with 18 confirmed cases, 1,614 possible cases and 103 possible deaths. Cases have also been reported in the US and Europe.
Dominican Ambassador to Mexico Pablo Arturo Martinez Alvarez says that none of the deaths in Mexico have affected Dominicans. The Pan-American Health Organization is increasing its warning that the DR, because of its status as a tourist destination, could be at risk of getting the disease. PAHO representative in the DR Cristina Nogueira has asked the Dominican public not to become alarmed at the spread of the disease.
Dr. Jesus Feris Iglesias, director of Infectology at Santo Domingo's Dr. Robert Reid Cabral Children's Hospital says that there has always been a risk of a global flu pandemic, and that is why the US health authorities recommend annual flu shots for vulnerable sectors of the population in order to reduce the severity of the illness. Dr. Feris, who is taking part as a speaker in the XIV Pan-American Infectology Congress in Brazil from 25-28 April, said that a flu outbreak happens every 35-40 years.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)
There have yet to be any reported cases of swine flu in the DR. Public Health Minister Bautista Rojas Gomez says that instructions have been issued to all hospitals and medical centers and that all port and airport personnel have been instructed to evaluate all passengers arriving from countries where cases of swine flu have been reported. Rojas added that any flu sample found in the DR would be sent to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the US, to determine if it is in fact swine flu.
Minster Rojas is asking all Dominicans to be extremely vigilant when it comes to hygiene. This means washing hands frequently, and using disposable napkins in the case of a cold. One cannot catch the flu by eating pork. The CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with swine influenza viruses.
The spread of swine flu was first reported in Mexico with 18 confirmed cases, 1,614 possible cases and 103 possible deaths. Cases have also been reported in the US and Europe.
Dominican Ambassador to Mexico Pablo Arturo Martinez Alvarez says that none of the deaths in Mexico have affected Dominicans. The Pan-American Health Organization is increasing its warning that the DR, because of its status as a tourist destination, could be at risk of getting the disease. PAHO representative in the DR Cristina Nogueira has asked the Dominican public not to become alarmed at the spread of the disease.
Dr. Jesus Feris Iglesias, director of Infectology at Santo Domingo's Dr. Robert Reid Cabral Children's Hospital says that there has always been a risk of a global flu pandemic, and that is why the US health authorities recommend annual flu shots for vulnerable sectors of the population in order to reduce the severity of the illness. Dr. Feris, who is taking part as a speaker in the XIV Pan-American Infectology Congress in Brazil from 25-28 April, said that a flu outbreak happens every 35-40 years.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)