Swine flu plan in place
Health Minister Jerry Narace, the target of much criticism, over the past year, regarding the perceived poor quality of health care in State hospitals, has taken a proactive approach to the swine flu threat.
Narace is probably seeing this international outbreak as the opportunity for his shining hour and mobilised the Ministry over the weekend and was on television on Sunday night to inform the public about the precautionary measures being taken.
There are no reported cases in the country but persons coming into Trinidad and Tobago will be required to report to port health for screening.
The Under-17 footballers who have been in Mexico competing in the CONCACAF Under-17 competition will be quarantined when they return today: they will be subject to tests and will spend 24 hours at the Le Sportel Inn at the Centre of Excellence.
The Ministry also has 120,000 doses of the Tamiflu medication which is used to treat swine flu in humans.
Persons who have entered the country in the last seven days and have developed symptoms of high fever, listlessness, vomiting, diarrhoea and other flu symptoms” are being urged to visit a doctor or a health institution, immediately for tests.
However, samples from infected persons have to be sent to the United States to determine whether they have swine flu.
The Ministry has already developed a comprehensive Influenza Preparedness Plan.
The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) sees Trinidad and Tobago as a country in a strong position to deal with the outbreak which some are describing as an outbreak in that over 150 people have died and the list of countries with cases have grown.
The senior national football team are scheduled to play a qualifying FIFA 2010 match in Mexico City in early June but it could not be ascertained whether it would be played in a neutral country.