No need to panic over swine flu - Dr Sory

THE Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Elias Sory, has urged the public not to panic over media reports of the possibility of the outbreak of Swine influenza.
“People should not panic, this is not an issue to panic over”, he stressed and pointed out that the surveillance system of the health service had been activated at the various ports and airports in the country to screen all visitors and Ghanaians entering or leaving the country.
Speaking to journalists on his way to an emergency committee meeting in Accra yesterday, he said the outbreak of the flu had been over emphasised by the media and therefore urged all Ghanaians not to worry so much about the possible outbreak of the flu.
He said so far no case had been recorded in the country, and expressed the hope that after the emergency committee meeting, concrete steps or measures would be taken to prepare the country for any emergency that may arise.
Dr Sory, said more cases were being reported in Mexico where the flu broke out and in other parts of America and Europe, but gave the assurance that the GHS was on top of the situation and would see to it that the necessary steps were taken to avoid an emergency where people would need to wear masks to cover their mouths and nostrils.
He said the surveillance system was set up during the outbreak of the Avian influenza to deal with any outbreak at the time, and further gave the assurance that the team had the capacity to deal with the situation in the case of any emergency.
He was optimistic that the flu, if detected in the country, would not greatly impact on the provision of health care services in the country because there were enough drugs in the country to deal with the situation, and pointed out that the drugs used against the outbreak of the Avian influenza in the country was also effective against the Swine flu.
The Director-General, on Monday, April 27, 2009 alerted all health personnel over the Swine flu and directed them to step up surveillance over the possible outbreak of the disease in the country.
“We have the structures to deal with any outbreak. All health officials in the regions have been given guidelines to that effect,” he told the Daily Graphic in an interview.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease, caused by influenza type A, which infects pigs. There are many types, and the infection is constantly changing.
Until now, it had not infected humans, but the latest form clearly does, and can be spread from person to person, probably through coughing and sneezing.
Symptoms of swine flu include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and fatigue.
Although most cases so far reported around the world appear to be mild, about 100 lives have been lost in Mexico.
Cases of the Swine flu have also been found in Canada, the US and in Spain.