Barbados has another confirmed case of Influenza A (H1N1). The affected person is a 36 year-old female, who, according to Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Joy St. John, has a mild form of the illness and did not require hospitalisation.
This is the fourth case that has tested positive for the Influenza A (H1N1) virus. To date, two males and an equal number of females have tested positive for the flu virus. Barbados reported its first confirmed case on June 4.
The Ministry of Health has stepped up its public education and awareness drive in an effort to keep people informed of the symptoms of the disease, its dangers and the ways of safeguarding one’s self against contracting it. The department has been urging the public to practise good, basic hygiene to contain its spread.
The World Health Organisation’s tracking of the virus has shown that the incidence of the disease is on the increase. At June 15, some 76 countries had officially reported 35,928 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection, including 163 deaths.