32 Swine Flu cases recorded in SVG in 12 days – Health Ministry says

By Admin. Updated 11:55 a.m., Thursday, January 11, 2024, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) recorded thirty-two (32) laboratory-confirmed cases of Influenza A – H1NI (swine flu) over the last 12 days.

“The surveillance committee within the MOHWE would like to report that during the period December 25th, 2023 – January 6th, 2024 there was a notable increase in the Influenza A – H1NI (swine flu) cases in SVG with thirty- two (32) laboratory-confirmed cases,” the Ministry of Health, Wellness, and the Environment said in a press release today (January 11).

The ministry also noted that as of January 6th, 2024, there was a total of nine thousand, eight hundred and four (9,804) confirmed cases of SARS-COV2 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) since the outbreak in 2021, of which Two hundred forty-three (243) cases were confirmed in 2023, with two (2) reported so far in 2024.

The health ministry said that influenza (flu) and COVID-19 are highly contagious viral infections of the respiratory tract that can cause severe illness with life-threatening complications, typically affecting people of all ages and can spread when an infected person coughs and or sneezes.

“Some symptoms are high fever (38°C or more), dry cough, sore throat, and body aches and fatigue,” the ministry said in the press release.

Other symptoms include chills, aches behind the eyes, loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea, the ministry said.

In 2023, SVG recorded seventeen (17) cases of Dengue Fever and twenty (20) cases of Leptospirosis. These vector-borne diseases did not exceed the normal levels and do not constitute an outbreak, the ministry said.

Dengue Fever is a mosquito borne viral illness that is caused by the bite of an infected mosquito. Persons are encouraged to seek early care from their health care providers if they are experiencing fever accompanied by nausea, vomiting, rash, or aches and pains (eye pain, typically behind the eyes, muscle, joint, or bone pain), the ministry said.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease, spread through contaminated fluids from rodents such as rats and mongooses, that affect humans and animals. Symptoms associated with Leptospirosis include, high fever, headache, chills, muscle aches, vomiting, jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), red eyes, abdominal pain, diarrhea and rash. Some infected persons, however, may have no symptoms at all, the ministry said.

The Ministry of Health said it wishes to advise anyone experiencing any of these signs and symptoms to seek medical attention from your district healthcare team or their private healthcare provider. Also testing for influenza, COVID-19, Dengue and Leptospirosis are available in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Strong adherence to and compliance with the treatment protocols given and any other precautionary measures are advised at this time.

The Ministry said it will continue to monitor closely and update the public accordingly.

The health ministry said it is advising the public to take all the necessary precautionary measures to protect themselves from infectious diseases such as COVID-19, Dengue Fever, Leptospirosis, and influenza virus.