Some 17 persons have now been infected with the HINI influenza here and Guyana may soon draw down on some of the flu vaccines developed by a United Kingdom-based company through the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), according to Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy.

Speaking to Stabroek News, the minister said that as of yesterday the number of persons infected with the flu in the last few months stood at 17 and out of that number only two had to be hospitalised.

He said the flu, which has wrought havoc in several countries killing over 6,000 people so far, following its outbreak in Mexico earlier this year, has not been cause for real alarm in Guyana but the situation needs to be monitored.

The minister said the fact that some 106 people contracted the influenza in the first two weeks of September in the US is of concern when one considers the traffic between that country and Guyana.

According to the minister, Guyana’s surveillance system is very effective as all the health centres and hospitals have to report all the cases of flu-like symptoms to the ministry. The minister said his ministry goes through the figures and if there are any suspected cases those persons would be contacted and samples taken from them and sent to the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) for testing. He said while some may say that it is an expensive exercise as many countries, like the US, are no longer testing persons, he believes it is important that testing continues to keep abreast with the infection locally.

Most of the persons who were infected have been travelling frequently or have had contact with persons overseas, the minister said.

Meanwhile, the minister said that Guyana will likely receive some of the newly developed vaccine through PAHO which is set to receive some 200 million doses for the Americas. He could not say how many of that number Guyana would receive.

GlaxoSmithKline, a pharmaceutical company with its headquarters in the UK had been requested by governments and public health authorities from around the world to develop and manufacture a vaccine in the aftermath of the influenza outbreak.