Wednesday, 24 June 2009

Two More Cases

The Health Services Authority has today confirmed an additional two cases of the novel H1N1 virus in the Cayman Islands, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 9.

The latest confirmed cases are two adults.  Health Services Medical Director, Dr. Greg Hoeksema, states that both patients are experiencing a mild illness and are recovering at home without antiviral medications.  This reinforces that this novel H1N1 flu at this time is no more concerning than the other three influenza viruses that also continue to circulate in the Cayman Islands.

Dr Anna Matthews, Acting Medical Officer of Health, emphasizes that the rise in the number of cases has been expected and is in keeping with global patterns of transmission.  She expects to see a continued increase in the number of locally confirmed cases, particularly in light of the mobility of the population.

The Health Services Authority remains vigilant in its public health surveillance initiatives to mitigate the spread of the virus and monitor its activity locally.