Severe Cases Of Flu In Turks And Caicos Islands
Health

Severe Cases Of Flu In Turks And Caicos Islands

The Ministry of Health says at least four cases of a severe strain of the flu have been confirmed in Turks and Caicos Islands. In a press release, the ministry

The Ministry of Health says at least four cases of a severe strain of the flu have been confirmed in Turks and Caicos Islands.

In a press release, the ministry said 2022 has proven to be an active season for influenza globally and this includes the TCI, adding that cases of respiratory illness are trending in an upward direction both globally and regionally.

Noting that seasonal influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses which circulate in all parts of the world, the release said there are 4 types of seasonal influenza viruses, types A, B, C and D. Influenza A and B viruses circulate and cause ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐˜€ of disease. Currently circulating in humans are subtype A(H1N1) and A(H3N2) influenza viruses.

“The results of samples from the TCI which were tested through the National Public Health Laboratory at the Caribbean Public Health Laboratory revealed the presence of ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—น๐˜‚๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜‡๐—ฎ ๐—” ๐—›๐Ÿฏ๐—ก๐Ÿฎ in 4 out of 6 samples tested,” the statement said. “This is in keeping with global trends as the dominant strain of influenza circulating in the US is H3N2. This strain has also been associated with more severe illness which has translated into higher numbers of hospital admissions and deaths. The most vulnerable are the elderly and children.”

In addition, the ministry said cases of COVID-19 are still being identified in the TCI.

“The number of cases is likely to be underreported due to the reduced number of persons getting tested. Persons are reminded that testing is available at no cost through MOH clinics throughout the TCI. This includes PCR testing carried out at the National Public Health Laboratory. In addition, the bivalent booster vaccine for COVID-19 is available at all Primary Health Care clinics for those who require a booster vaccine. This current bivalent booster provides some protection from the current Omicron variant of COVID-19 which is the dominant strain circulating in the TCI,” the press release added.

Seasonal influenza is characterized by a sudden onset of fever, cough (usually dry), headache, muscle and joint pain, severe malaise (feeling unwell), sore throat and a runny nose. The cough can be severe and can last 2 or more weeks. Most people recover from fever and other symptoms within a week without requiring medical attention. But influenza can cause severe illness or death especially in people at high risk.

Hospitalization and death occur mainly among high risk groups. Most deaths associated with influenza occur among people age 65 or older. Epidemics can result in high levels of worker/school absenteeism and productivity losses. Clinics and hospitals can be overwhelmed during peak illness periods.

All age groups can be affected but there are ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ธ than others.

โ€ขPeople at greater risk of severe disease or complications when infected are: pregnant women, children under 59 months, the elderly, individuals with chronic medical conditions (such as chronic cardiac, pulmonary, renal, metabolic, neurodevelopmental, liver or hematologic diseases) and individuals with immunosuppressive conditions (such as HIV/AIDS, receiving chemotherapy or steroids, or malignancy).

โ€ขHealth care workers are at high risk acquiring influenza virus infection due to increased exposure to the patients and risk further spread particularly to vulnerable individuals.

Seasonal influenza spreads easily, with rapid transmission in crowded areas including schools and nursing homes. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, droplets containing viruses (infectious droplets) are dispersed into the air and can spread up to one meter, and infect persons in close proximity who breathe these droplets in. The virus can also be spread by hands contaminated with influenza viruses. To prevent transmission, people should cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing, and wash their hands regularly.

The time from infection to illness, known as the ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐—ฏ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ฑ, is about 2 days, but ranges from one to four days.

Patients that are not from a high risk group should be managed with ๐˜€๐˜†๐—บ๐—ฝ๐˜๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ and are advised, if symptomatic, to stay home in order to minimize the risk of infecting others in the community. Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms of influenza such as fever. Patients should monitor themselves to detect if their condition deteriorates and seek medical attention.

The most effective way to prevent the disease is๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป

Safe and effective vaccines are available and have been used for more than 60 years. Immunity from vaccination wanes over time so annual vaccination is recommended to protect against influenza. The influenza vaccine is available at no cost at all Primary Health Care Clinics throughout the TCI.

The influenza vaccine provides protection including reducing the severity of disease and incidence of complications and deaths. Vaccination is especially important for people at high risk of influenza complications, and for people who live with or care for the people at high risk.

WHO recommends annual vaccination for:

โ€ขpregnant women at any stage of pregnancy
โ€ขchildren aged between 6 months to 5 years
โ€ขelderly individuals (aged more than 65 years)
โ€ขindividuals with chronic medical conditions
โ€ขhealth-care workers.

In addition to taking a flu vaccine, the Ministry of Health and Human Services would like to recommend the following ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜๐—ต ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฝ๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ผ๐—ถ๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป:

โ€ขCover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
โ€ขPut your used tissue in the waste basket.
โ€ขIf you donโ€™t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into the upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands.
โ€ขWash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds or long enough to sing the birthday song twice.
โ€ขIf soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
โ€ขAvoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth (germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth).
โ€ขAvoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
โ€ขMasks can be worn in settings where social distancing is not possible including in indoor or crowded settings.
โ€ขGet tested by your health care provider to determine whether you have influenza or COVID-19.
โ€ขIf you or your child is sick with the flu or flu-like symptoms, stay home from work, school and daycare. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
โ€ขClean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work, or school, especially when someone is ill.
โ€ขGet plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, eat nutritious foods, manage your stress and be physically active.
โ€ขEveryday preventive actions can help slow the spread of germs that can cause many different illnesses and may offer some protection against the flu.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—น๐˜‚ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฏ๐˜† ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐˜†๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ.

Get your flu shot today and get your COVID-19 booster!!

Tci Daily News
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Tci Daily News