Via DefendHaiti.ht: Five suspected cases of H1N1 in Haiti. Excerpt:
In the South-East border town of Anse-à-Pitre five individuals are suspected of having contracted the swine flu and appear to show symptoms. Laboratory tests are underway and so far no confirmed cases of H1N1 have been discovered in Haiti.
Five are suspected of having caught the AH1N1 influenza virus and are showing almost all the symptoms of the disease, said Minister of Public Health and Population Dr. Florence Guillaume Duperval. Cough, fever, muscle pain, among others. "Samples have been taken on these people," said Dr. Florence Guillaume Duperval.
The five specimens were sent to a laboratory in the Caribbean and the MSPP expects the results will be available in less than 24 hours.
The suspects have been quarantined and are under medical supervision, said the Minister of Health while informing that no confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) have been registered in the country.
Interviewed Thursday by Le Nouvelliste , the representative of the Pan American Health Organization and (PAHO / WHO) World Health Organization, Dr. Jean Luc Poncelet, said that WHO has 5,000 treatment kits against Influenza A (H1N1) at the disposal of the Haitian authorities to ensure that people who are infected with the virus can be processed quickly.
The doctor did not want to comment on the bans import of meat products from the Dominican Republic. "In such cases, the PAHO/WHO is not really commenting on recommendations in this regard. We welcome the fact that the Haitian government has focused on prevention," he said.
"The Dominican Republic registered influenza A (H1N1), however," said Dr. Poncelet. "This is a flu that circulates from person to person," he said, stressing that preventive measures to be taken are very important.
He called on the Haitian people to protect themselves and to respect the principles of hygiene usual to avoid the spread of the disease in the country while asking journalists not to dramatize the situation.
