Public health specialist, Dr Winston Davidson, believes that the World Health Organisation's declaration of the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic is 'a little tardy'.

He argues that all the trends would have supported an earlier shift of the worldwide pandemic alert level from phase five to six, the maximum alert level.

Davidson, the University of Technology's professor of public health and health technology, pointed to the flu virus' spread to more than 70 countries, across continents and without any apparent abatement in its progress as sound reasons for the inevitability of the June 11 pandemic declaration.

The influenza A (H1N1), an emerging new strain of the H1N1 flu virus with genes from human, avian and swine variety flus, has been quickly spreading, since April, from its epicentre in Mexico City across the borders of many other countries, leading to the first flu pandemic since 1968. Fourteen cases of influenza A (H1N1) have been identified in Jamaica over the last two weeks (up to June 15).

Travel restrictions

So, now that the world is officially in pandemic mode, what next? Travel restrictions?

"No," said Davidson. "I don't see this virus as a major danger ... I don't see this virus having a big impact on the economy. It is a mild flu pandemic when compared to previous epidemics. The focus should be early detection and people should take personal responsibility."

So no travel restrictions, but what about the public health measures, will they be modified now that the world is in pandemic mode? The public health specialist believes that his colleagues had already taken all the appropriate measures.

"We couldn't have done anything differently because we, the Caribbean, are not the primary locus of the disease and we have already put in place measures to limit the spread of the disease," said Davidson. "But we have to understand that no measure is foolproof and we can't prevent the flu from getting into Jamaica."

The health ministry indicated that since April there have been heightened surveillance and monitoring activities in health facilities and at ports of entry to ensure early detection and treatment of any influenza A (H1N1) cases.

Local spread

Though the country has already put in the necessary measures to mitigate spread, the emerging challenge, Davidson said, is to locate resources to manage local spread. So far, according to Ministry of Health releases, the cases identified in Jamaica had travelled to New York, US, a highly infected area, but local spread, Davidson said, is inevitable.

"Anybody who says that we are not going to have local spread (would not) have a scientific basis to suggest that," he stressed.

Clinical response to the virus, Davidson pointed out, can be muted, meaning that carriers of the dreaded virus can remain asymptomatic (without symptoms) but continue to transmit it to other people. Considerations also have to be given to the incubation period before clinical signs appear. These characteristics, Davidson is quick to indicate, are not unusual in public health and are part of the challenge in managing communicable conditions.

While expressing faith in Jamaica's strong public health tradition at the national and parish levels, he also urged individual responsibility to curb spread. (See box for personal actions to take).

Davidson's public health prescription is to continue:

Surveillance

Mitigation of local spread

Maintenance of vigilance at ports of entry

Looking for persons travelling from highly infected areas

Mobilisation of medical community in private and public sectors

Eulalee Thompson is health editor and a professional counsellor: email:eulalee.thompson@gleanerjm.com.

Stay healthy

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.

Avoid close contactwith sick people

Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

If you get sick, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention