Don’t take flu-like symptoms for granted – CMO warns

Mar 06, 2020 News

Symptoms that are consistent with the flu should not be taken for granted. This is according to Chief Medical Officer [CMO], Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, who has urged that “anyone who has flu-like symptoms should check with a doctor.”
Taking this action is being recommended as part of the local response to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 which surfaced in Wuhan, China during the latter part of last year, and has since expanded its reach to some 88 other countries.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud

Speaking on the matter recently, the CMO said, “even if you are in the employ of a company or the government or whoever pays your salary, you need to probably not be at the workplace, even if you have a regular flu.”
Symptoms of the virus can range from a cough to pneumonia.
Emphasising the importance of seeking medical attention swiftly, Dr. Persaud disclosed that the law that governs the operation of the National Insurance Scheme provides for persons to remain at home for three days, but on the third day they must visit a doctor. Visiting the doctor is in order for the ailing person to obtain a sick leave certificate, which in the first instance could be up to seven days and, according to Dr. Persaud, “if your condition is a little more serious, they can give you a further 14 days.”
“I am saying to persons, if you feel that you need to check something out, please do,” said Dr. Persaud, who revealed that “we have a network of health centres, health posts, district hospitals, plus regional hospitals and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC].”
Added to this, Dr. Persaud said that persons can access the services of private hospitals, private practitioners and clinics across the country.
“Whichever facility you feel comfortable with, please go…most of our health centres, especially along the coast, there are at least a medical doctor placed at those; if not, a Medex or some very well experienced nurses can also respond. So if you have concerns about your health, not only if it is for flu symptoms, but any concerns, please come in to one of our facilities,” said Dr. Persaud.
He further noted that persons who have travelled recently and have developed symptoms of the flu, should especially seek to be examined at their nearest health facility.
According to the CMO, too, persons can also call just about any of the Ministry of Public Health’s numbers during working hours if they are in need of information about the coronavirus.
“If you have travelled and you have experienced any flu-like symptoms, I would say get to your nearest health facility… you can also call the Health Ministry…and we would route you to the relevant units within close proximity to their home,” said Dr. Persaud.
The COVID-19 virus, according to Dr. Persaud, “is almost a brand new germ; our bodies have not encountered this before” thus the daunting impact it has had on many persons it has infected.
More than 98,000 persons have been infected of which 3,385 have died. Referring to outbreaks of other viruses here such as Chikungunya and Zika, the CMO noted that they too had daunting impacts on those infected by them for the first time.
“Those two are vector-borne and they are transmitted by mosquitoes, but you notice we don’t hear much about them…I think what has happened is that a large number of persons who were exposed, they eventually developed some natural immunity, so most of those infections, you get them once and you won’t get them again once you remain healthy,” said Dr. Persaud, who expects the same of the coronarvirus.