Ghana records first case of swine flu

The Ministry of Health on Tuesday confirmed the first case of the Pandemic Influenza H1N1 in the country but said this was not a crisis situation because the nation was on top of affairs. At a press briefing in Accra, Deputy Health Minister, Dr. Ben Kumbuor said Ghana had been very vigilant since April when cases of the flu were reported in Mexico.

He said Ghana had put in place a national pandemic influenza action plan and had been working in collaboration with WHO to procure drugs as well as trained clinicians and laboratory technical in all the 10 regions to manage the situation in case of an outbreak of the influenza. The patient involved is a young lady who walked to a medical facility with mild symptoms of influenza after catching cold from her brother who had arrived from the United Kingdom.

Dr. Kumbuor said the family was now under surveillance while the patient was currently doing well. The pandemic influenza H1N1 2009 is caused by a virus that affects the respiratory system and typically spreads through coughs and sneezes or by touching contaminated surfaces.

Symptoms, which can last up to a week, are similar to those of seasonal flu, and may include fever, sneezing, sore throat, coughs, headaches, and muscle or joint pains. Complications of the disease include pneumonia and difficulty in breathing.

The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) says most cases worldwide have been mild so far and most hospitalizations and deaths have been of persons that had underlying conditions such as asthma, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, or a weakened immune system.

Dr. Kumbuor said the national plan, which include daily meetings of all technical committees at the national level, intensification of public education and surveillance for early detection of other cases and a directive to all health facilities both public and private to be ready to receive and manage patients have been activated. The Deputy Minister mentioned regular hand washing with soap and water, hand rubbing with alcohol, keeping a distance from the infected person and wearing of protected clothing for those taking care of patients as some of the measures to stop the spread of the virus. He urged individuals to cover their mouth when coughing and sneezing and that people should seek treatment immediately if infection is suspected when symptoms occur.

Dr. Kumbuor asked Ghanaians not to panic since the situation is under control.

The outbreak caused the Mexican government to close down most public and private offices and facilities to help contain the spread. It however spread to the US and other countries. In June 2009, the Director General of WHO declared a phase six pandemic meaning that the disease had spread to other parts of the continent and a sustained human-to-human transmission in communities. A total of 162, 380 confirmed cases from 168 countries covering all continents have so far been reported to WHO with 1154 deaths and a case fatality of 0.7 per cent. 6 Aug 09