Well, I trust everyone has heard of the recent outbreak of the H1N1 virus, named Swine Flu for the virus stems from pigs in Mexico. It has since evolved and mutated, becoming stronger and easily communicable among human beings, spreading globally. Countries like the US(226 confirmed, 1 dead) and Canada(85); even nearby neighbouring countries of Singapore like New Zealand(4) and Hong Kong(1) have confirmed cases of the Swine Flu.
As such, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has raised the alert to "Orange", since the disease can be transmitted via humans, however, a pandemic may not be imminent just yet. The World Health Organization (WHO), have termed the status as "Phase 5", which is characterized by human transmission of the virus in 2 or more WHO countries. While most countries will not yet be affected at this stage, this is a strong signal to other WHO countries to implement mitigation measures to prepare and protect themselves.
Fear of a repeat of SARS is evident as the Singapore government rushes to combat the deadly disease. Rules and regulations have been drawn up, quarantine of recent travelers to affected countries; even temperature checks at both primary and secondary schools! The government is clearly not leaving anything to chance, even though Singapore has yet to see a confirmed case of Swine Flu.
For me, I believe that as a citizen of Singapore, I must be at least civic-minded enough to do my part in preventing the spreading of this disease. Basic things like covering my mouth when I cough, not sharing food or drinks with others can contribute to the overall fight against it. Thus, I hope everyone can all pitch in and not be selfish. Stay home if you're sick or have a temperature above 37.6oC. Remember, if you ignore these precautions, you will endanger the lives of many others around you.
Update: The MOH has determined H1N1 to be less serious and lowered the alert to "Yellow". However, we must not take this for granted and be complacent.
Watch this video! Singapore's Health Ministers cautions Singaporeans on complacency.
No comments:
Post a Comment