The Health Ministry has responded to claims that the nation was not informed that the Influenza A H1N1 infection is in Jamaica.
Recently, broadcaster Alan Magnus raised a caution saying his wife, Kerry, died from the infection last Friday.
Magnus called it the swine influenza and said he didn’t know about any crusade advising Jamaicans about the predominance of the H1N1 infection and how to guard against it.
His call activated serious social media criticisms of the Health Ministry that it neglected to sufficiently caution Jamaicans.
Restriction Spokesman on Health Dr Dayton Campbell likewise rapped the ministry for neglecting to issue a warning on the H1N1 infection.
Be that as it may, in a release the last night, the Health Ministry stated, in an announcement to Parliament on February 12, Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton reported that the nation was on influenza alert.
The announcement, which was refered to on the Health Ministry’s website a day later, cautioned that influenza was serious and could result in respiratory issues.
Be that as it may, it didn’t state any instance of the H1N1 infection had been accounted for.
On Twitter, Tufton has additionally shared a February 28 Jamaica Observer article in which he asked Jamaicans to look for early medical advice and to avoid confusing dengue and influenza symptoms with “H1N1 being the main flu going around.”
After Magnus’ caution yesterday, Nicole, Dawkins-Wright, acting director of emergency, disaster management and special services in the health ministry disclosed to The Gleaner there has been no ongoing instance of swine influenza in Jamaica.
She tried to clarify that while the H1N1 infection is here, the swine influenza strain had not been detected.
Dawkins-Wright stated, the H1N1 strain at present revealed in Jamaica and the Swine Flu version have different characteristics but similar manifestations, for example, respiratory entanglements.
As indicated by the ministry, up to yesterday, there had been three deaths, six affirmed cases and 110 suspected ones accordingly with the H1N1 infection.