Tag: health protection agency

Health Protection Agency warns of viral fever in Male’

In light of what it claims is a rapid spread of viral fever in Male’, the Maldives Health Protection Agency (HPA) issued a warning Sunday (June 16) urging the public to take precautionary measures.

Local media quoted HPA Epidemiologist Dr Aishath Aroona as saying that those who contract fever were advised to avoid crowded places, cover their mouth when coughing or sneezing, and consult a doctor if the fever persists for more than three days.

“Increasing viral fever is a sign of spread of dengue. Hence the best way to counteract dengue is to guard against breeding grounds for mosquitoes,” Aroona told Haveeru.

Amidst concerns about recent growth in the number of cases of viral fever and increase in patients at both ADK and Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), the HPA has refused to label the current situation as an epidemic, according to local media.

“Such spread of fever is always common in June and July. Now only we’re starting to see it. So everyone must take precautionary measures,” said Aroona.

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Hospital infested with rats and cockroaches: IGMH staff

A rat and cockroach infestation are the latest in a series of problems faced by the state-run Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), reports local media.

The hospital has become infested with rats, which are seen “scurrying about the wards”, a doctor working at IGMH told Haveeru on condition of anonymity.

“There are a lot of rats in the wards. We see them scurrying about. That has become a common sight, especially in the evening,” said the doctor.

“The pantry room is a rat nest, [but] it’s not only the rats. We’ve got a big cockroach problem too,” an IGMH nurse told local media.

“People come to tackle the plague of rats. But we don’t see the numbers receding,” she added.

A nurse recently found a live rat inside a plastic bag containing her breakfast, which was delivered from the hospital canteen. The incident was reported to the Health Protection Agency.

Despite numerous customer complaints about the canteen’s hygiene standards, a top official from the canteen denied any rats ever being present in the eatery, while speaking to Haveeru.

Due to severe budgetary constraints IGMH has faced numerous operational challenges. Major grievances have included overcrowding, as well as a lack of medicine, medical equipment, and maintenance.

IGMH Media Coordinator Zeenath Ali acknowledged the mounting complaints while speaking to local media and made assurances that the hospital was “on top of the problem”.

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New drug-resistant strain of TB found in Maldives “quite serious”: HPA

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has warned that a new drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis (TB) that has appeared in the Maldives poses “quite a serious threat” to people’s health.

The agency’s comments follow a report released by the Ministry of Health on Sunday (March 24), revealing that it faces new challenges in order to control the disease in the Maldives.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), TB is an infectious bacterial disease that can be transmitted via droplets in the throat and lungs of the infected.

WHO states that drug-resistant strains of TB have become a major public health problem that has resulted from patients not fully completing the recommended six-month course of treatment.

HPA Public Health Program Officer Shina Ahmed told Minivan News today (March 25) that although the new strain of TB is “quite serious”, the particular strain found in the Maldives is not resistant to every drug available to patients.

“We have had a few cases come in now with the new strain. The most important thing we have to do is to continue and complete the course of treatment.

“Most of these drug-resistant strains are caused by patients stopping the treatment. We have enough drug supplies to give to them, but because the course goes on for six months, patients tend to go off taking the treatment towards the end,” Shina said.

Local media reported that the Health Ministry had revealed that 10,563 people had been registered to receive treatment for TB since 1963, out of which 5,256 people were said to have infected lungs.

Shina claimed that the majority of cases within the Maldives have been reported on the islands as opposed to Male’, and that in order to prevent the spread of the disease the HPA will be undertaking awareness programs.

An official from Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in Male’ stated that there was no need for the public to be concerned in regard to the spread of the disease, adding that there may have been only “one or two” cases found to have contracted the new strain.

“When we find a patient who is not responding to the prescribed course of treatment, there is always a second course they can take instead,” the official told Minivan News.

According to WHO, healthy individuals infected with TB are not often affected by any symptoms as the person’s immune system acts to “wall off” the bacteria.

The organisation states that symptoms of active TB are coughing, sometimes with blood, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats.

The WHO Representative to the Maldives, Dr Akjemal Magtymova, Health Minister Dr Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed and the Health Ministry were not responding to calls at time of press.

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Hand foot and mouth disease on the increase in Maldives

Health Protection Agency (HPA) has warned people of the spread of hand, foot and mouth disease in the Maldives, local media has reported.

HPA reported that the number of confirmed hand, foot and mouth disease cases had increased in some regions since January 2013.

The disease normally affects children aged between one and four, and is spread through direct contact with mucus, saliva or faeces of an infected person, local media reported.

According to the HPA, good hygiene is an effective way to prevent the disease. The first symptoms include fever, lack of appetite, fatigue and a sore throat.

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Livestock import ban following anthrax scare in Tamil Nadu

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has enforced a ban on importing live animals and meat to the Maldives from Tamil Nadu in India following an anthrax outbreak, local media reports.

A statement from the HPA read that two towns in Tamil Nadu had reported an outbreak of anthrax, and as a precautionary measure the agency had banned live animal and meal imports from any state within Tamil Nadu.

The HPA has urged against using live animals and meat produced after December 31, 2012 imported from India.

“Normally anthrax affects animals such as goats and cows. However, humans can get the disease from animals. Humans contract the disease by coming in contact with infected animals, airborne germs and consuming meat of infected animals,” the HPA stated.

Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, according to the agency.

Orf virus found in Thilafushi goat

Prior to being abolished, the Centre for Community Health and Disease Control (CCHDC) reported that a goat in Thilafushi had tested positive for the Orf virus earlier this month.

Despite the Ministry of Agriculture earlier stating that Orf is a dangerous virus, as reported by local media, the CCHDC said it does not pose a great risk to humans.

Epidemiologist at CCHDC Dr Aishath Aruna said that a human can only contract the virus by coming into direct contact with an infected goat, Sun Online reported.

“Humans can contract the disease from goats, by coming into direct contact with an infected goat. It’s not a dangerous disease. Only people who tend and rear goats are at risk,” Aruna was quoted as saying by local media.

In regard to goats being reared in Thilafushi – otherwise known as “garbage island” – Dr Aruna told Sun Online that eating the meat from these goats could pose a risk to humans.

The Thilafushi Corporation said the island is used for industrial purposes, and that people who rear goats in the island do so without obtaining the necessary permits.

The CDHDC was abolished by President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik earlier this month. The President’s Office confirmed that functions and responsibilities of the CCHDC were to be transferred to the HPA.

The CCHDC had been working to identify diseases prevalent in the Maldives, and to prevent disease and increase health awareness.

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Parliament passes public health bill

Parliament on Wednesday passed 40-1 a public health bill submitted by Independent MP for Kulhudhufushi South, Mohamed Nasheed, more than two years ago.

The legislation (Dhivehi) specifies guidelines for protection of public health and includes penalties for violations.

While the Health Minister would be responsible for public health matters, the law proposes the formation of a Health Protection Agency with powers to appoint officials to various posts in the health sector, quarantining and carrying out inspections.

If the bill is ratified by the President, a public health fund would be established with proceeds from licensing fees, payments from services, fines and a portion of import duties from cigarettes and tobacco.

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