Bird Flu not an immediate threat to Cayman

Hon Anthony Eden, Minister of Health	Dr Kiran Kumar, Director of Public Health

Thursday,  October 20, 2005

The Cayman Islands are not under any threat of Bird Flu at this point, Director of Public Health Dr Kiran Kumar stressed in an interview with Cayman Net News.

He said that, at this point, the Avian, or Bird, Flu that has been identified in Asia and in European countries, Romania and Turkey, has only been found in humans that work very closely with poultry. There is no evidence that this new strain of flu, H5N1, has passed from person to person.

He explained the global concern is that Bird Flu may mutate to a form that could be transmitted between humans.

If that should happen, the fear is that the strain will become a pandemic – a global epidemic.

However, he stressed that this is not something that could occur any time soon and that the Cayman Islands are taking every precaution necessary.

The flu shots now available from the Cayman Islands Health Services, while recommended for seasonal flu, are not effective against Avian Flu, said Dr Kumar.

Some countries, such as the UK are stockpiling an antiviral drug called Tamiflu, and Dr Kumar said that the HSA will be receiving some quantities of this drug, and noted that it is also available locally as a prescription.

However, Tamiflu is only effective if given in the first two days of infection, which is sometimes hard to identify, said Dr Kumar. He said that he would generally prescribe it only to a patient who was elderly or otherwise vulnerable and who was living with someone infected with the flu virus.

Tamiflu is not for everyone and should only be taken on the recommendation of a doctor, who would decide based on individual circumstances, said Dr Kumar.

He added that it is very expensive, costing around $70, and has no medical value unless taken in those first two days of infection. To be used as a preventative, a patient would have to take it for the entire season, he explained.

Dr Kumar noted that it is hoped that Tamiflu would help if Bird Flu did mutate and become a pandemic because there is nothing else available. For this reason, the HSA do have resources to acquire the drug and have support from the UK.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is stockpiling the drug and, if necessary, would send it to countries where it is needed. If it spread to Central America and the Caribbean, then, at that time, we would be targeted.

It takes six months to prepare a vaccine for a new virus. Should a vaccination become available for Bird Flu, the Cayman Islands would be receiving stocks.

At the moment, the virus is in the pre-pandemic phase. In the event of Bird Flu mutating into its more serious form, the Public Health Department would be advising the public further.

“We will watch and see what happens,” said Dr Kumar.

The precautions that are being taken to protect the residents of Cayman against the possible threat of an avian influenza pandemic was also outlined by Minister of Health, the Hon Anthony Eden in the Legislative Assembly on Monday 17 October.

He announced that a multi-disciplinary committee in Cayman is taking a coordinated approach to protecting the Islands’ residents against the global threat of the Avian or Bird influenza pandemic.

Members of the Communicable Disease Surveillance Committee (CDSC), comprising representatives from Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU), Environmental Health and Agriculture departments, the Health Services Authority’s Laboratory and the Public Health Department, are collaborating on a draft public health contingency plan.

He said that recent outbreaks of a strain of flu that has afflicted poultry in, notably, some Far East Asian countries have worried the international community.

The fear is that the virus, now confined to birds, will mutate to a strain that has the ability to pass easily from bird to human, and then from human to human, creating a pandemic.

“The UK along with many other countries is taking the global risk for an avian flu pandemic very seriously,” Minister Eden said in the House.

“This virus has already transcended geographic borders and, as with any communicable disease, the government must ensure preventive steps are taken to protect our country from the economic, commercial and social impacts of the disease.

“We nevertheless can all be assured that there is no immediate threat of any possible outbreak of avian flu in the Cayman Islands.”

He outlined that the Overseas Territories Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in the UK had contacted the Ministry of Health Services about contingency planning and to inquire about ways in which they might need to offer guidance and assistance.

“To this end, we are in a pre-pandemic phase of planning in accordance with the World Health Organization’s recommended strategic actions for responding to the threat of an avian influenza pandemic.

“During this phase, action is being taken to strengthen the Cayman Islands’ early warning system,” Minister Eden told Members. He said he had instructed the Director of Public Health to commence a state of preparedness.

He outlined that steps taken so far are: In August 2005, the Ministry of Health Services through the office of H.E the Governor, forwarded a draft Public Health Contingency Plan to relevant agencies including the Overseas Territories Department of the FCO.

In September 2005, the Director of Public Health attended a meeting of National Epidemiologists in the region at which one of the agenda items was “Flu pandemic”. Information shared at the meeting is to be incorporated into the Cayman Islands Draft Public Health Contingency Plan.

This month, contact made with the Pan American Health Organisation representative stationed in Jamaica would enable the Director of Public Health to be informed of regional arrangement for dealing with any threat of diseases.

Minister Eden noted, “The potential threat of any global outbreak requires that there is a national plan of action that is clear and all encompassing.”

The Cayman Islands had dealt adequately with previous threats including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Mad Cow disease and with possible disease outbreaks after Hurricane Ivan. This was due in part to the responsiveness to possible threats and to effective monitoring systems, the Minister said.

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