Barbados Is On High Alert For Swine Flu

BARBADOS is on high alert for swine flu! While there were no known cases here up to yesterday afternoon, health authorities announced the implementation of a national action plan to mitigate the deadly virus that has claimed several lives in Mexico and spread to other countries including two of Barbados’ key tourist markets – the United States and Canada.
Officials were also monitoring the situation with two local sports teams – football and polo – who are set to return from Mexico “in the near future”, indicating they would have to report to port health officials on their arrival back home.

The island’s heightened state of action was announced by Minister of Health, Donville Inniss, and Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Joy St. John, following an emergency meeting of all major public sector agencies and some private bodies at the Pan-American Health Organisation’s Dayrell’s Road, Christ Church headquarters.

Key provisions of the national plan, influenced by the World Health Organisation’s decision to deem the current swine flu outbreak “a public health emergency of international concern” included:

• heightened surveillance at all ports of entry in Barbados including the Grantley Adams International Airport and Bridgetown Port and well as the Ministry of Health’s laboratory.

• declarations to port health personnel by all people entering Barbados from Mexico and other infected places within the last week to 10 days.

• circulation of guidelines on diagnosis and treatment to all private doctors.

• careful management of the island’s limited supplies of the anti-viral using Tamiflu.

• polyclinics will be the first line of treatment for mild cases including those of tourists.

The swine flu virus refers to influenza cases that are caused by Orthomyxoviruses that are endemic to pig populations. Symptoms are similar to those of other strains of human flu, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue, while diarrhoea and vomiting can also occur.

Inniss said urged all members of the public to immediately adopt precautionary measures recommended by the experts including frequent hand washing with soap and water, covering the mouth and nose with tissue when sneezing or coughing and seeking urgent medical attention if they have the stated symptoms.

“Government is working assiduously to effectively manage the situation as we know it at this time, and we will continue to work collectively to implement our plan of action to protect the health of Barbadians. We will keep monitoring the international events and update the public as the situation unfolds,” the minister said.

St. John said while the WHO had not declared a pandemic authorities needed to be on alert, especially since “this virus is not like any other that we have had in the world before.”

“Suffice it to say that we want to make it clear to the general population that we are going to keep abreast of current events and we are going to communicate to them frequently about their involvement because it’s not just the ministries and different agencies that have to respond,” she said.

“There has to be responsibility on the part of the general public and that’s why it is important if there have travelled that they declare, it is important that wherever they travelled to that they exhibit the precautions of hand washing, alcohol gels are also useful.”

The CMO made it clear Barbadians who were inoculated with the seasonal influenza vaccine were not protected from swine flu.

She also said currently there was vaccination offering protection from the current virus, adding that the drugs Tamiflu, of which Barbados had a supply from Cricket World Cup, and Relenza were successfully treating cases of the illness.

“We are going to be using these judiciously. We are not in a position where we need to use them as profolaxis for front line workers and I am not just talking medical staff, the front-line workers are well know to us because we have been generally immunising them as needs to be,” she noted.

“We are keeping a close eye on developing events when that is necessary we will inform the general public very specifically of who, when and where we will be employing of our very precious stocks of Tamiflu.”

Source: www.barbadosadvocate.com

More Emergency Drills Needed In Schools

Chief Education Officer, Dr. Wendy Griffith Watson has called for more emergency drills in schools.

Dr. Griffith-Watson, who is also chief shelter warden, was speaking against the background of several floods across Barbados last year, some of which impacted schools.

She believes frequent drills will help staff and students to be better prepared for any recurrence of the floods and other emergency situations.

"I would like the Red Cross and the District's Emergency Officers to help us arrange emergency drills at our schools throughout the school year. So that it becomes a normal practice and children then too are aware of their duties and responsibilities and parents will feel a little more assured that if something happens their children and the teachers are safe."

Source: www.cbc.bb

DEM Says There Are Too Few Emergency Shelters

The Department of Emergency Management is preparing to launch a comprehensive assessment of the emergency shelters across the island.

Director, Judy Thomas made the announcement while addressing the third in a series of training workshops for emergency shelter managers at the Ministry of Education's conference room

Ms Thomas has outlined several initiatives earmarked for 2009.

Among these is a structural assessment of the emergency shelters across the island, which she says will look at the integrity of the buildings.

"It will help the Ministry of Education to decide what is the most efficient part of the school to allocate as shelters because we are running very short of shelter capacity at the national level and we have to bring on board for more classrooms.'

Ms. Thomas told the workshop, comprising several shelter wardens and other emergency management partners, the department was working on special programme for the schools.

That initiative will see special disaster units set up and run by the students themselves.

"Once they know that their school is going to be a shelter and that is so promoted the children should gang together and ensure the windows are not broken, taps are not broken, water units in the bathrooms are secure and to ensure that their peers also help to keep these things in place."

Ms. Thomas says despite concerns voiced, principals who run the schools on a daily basis are better placed to transform the buildings for emergency situations.

The DEM director says the department is mindful that teachers, who will be responsible for the school based shelters, will need help in the event in an emergency and is urging the community around the schools to get involved.

"We realize that the Department of Emergency Management will never get the kinds of people in it to run all the important sectors and therefore there has to be a serious decentralization of some of the key tasks that are given to us."

She says the department plans to re-launch the Adopt a Shelter programme, which in its new format will allow non-governmental organisation and other international agencies to assist with their development.

Source: www.cbc.bb

Happy New Year From St. Philip South DEO

Here's wishing each new day brings for you...

happiness, prosperity and continued success!

Happy New Year from the St. Philip South

District Emergency Organisation.

Merry Christmas From St.Philip South DEO

Joy in the air... good cheer every where.

Christmas is a special time to remember those who are dear to us.

May the good tidings and warmth it brings be with you throughout the year.

Merry Christmas from the St. Philip South District Emergency Organisation.

St. Philip South DEO Receives Donation

The Officers and members of the St. Philip South District Emergency Organisation are now closer to their goal of purchasing a much needed computer and multimedia projector.

Help has come from the team at Barbados Public Workers Co-operative Credit Union Six Roads Branch. The Credit Union has been operating in the Emerald City Supermarket complex since May of this year and has already become a welcome and productive member of the St. Philip South community.

St. Philip South D.E.O. member Henderson Linton expressed his gratitude to the credit union team at Six Roads saying, "We needed help to purchase the much needed equipment and we are blessed to have received this assistance."

The computer will be used mostly for data collection and the multimedia projector will be used as a teaching aid for community education and outreach.

There was also a call for residents of the community to get involved in the work of the D.E.O. not only during the huricane season but throughout the year.