Coronavirus disease: Local doctor highlights importance of social responsibility |06 March 2020
• “If you’re showing similar symptoms, stay home and call 141 for guidance & assistance”
With the current outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Dr Miodrag Todorovic, founder of Panafricare Clinic, has called upon all members of the local population to place great emphasis on their social responsibilities, to protect ourselves and to prevent the spread of the disease.
COVID-19 is a new and infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus; the outbreak began in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Common symptoms include a dry cough and fever. While anyone can catch this virus, it appears that older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions develop serious illness. The virus has now spread to South Korea, Japan, Europe, Iran and the United States (World Health Organisation).
While Seychelles has not reported any confirmed cases to date, Dr Todorovic stresses on the important role of social responsibility in protecting ourselves and preventing the spread of the disease.
Firstly he talks about putting in place our own preventative measures including:
- Listening and adhering to advice / instructions from relevant authorities
- Considering the possibility of contamination when we come close to other people or touch surfaces
- Avoiding large gatherings and cancelling public gatherings
- Clinics and hospitals should ask any patient with similar symptoms to wear a mask, to use a sanitizer and should also place the patient in an isolated room
- Regularly washing hands and using hand sanitizers the correct way, as explained below by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States:
How to wash hands with soap and water
- Wet your hands with clean running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.
- Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap.
- Scrub all surfaces of your hands, including the palms, backs, fingers, between your fingers, and under your nails. Keep scrubbing for 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice.
- Rinse your hands under clean, running water.
- Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
How to use alcohol-based hand sanitizers
- Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
- Supervise young children when they use hand sanitizer to prevent swallowing alcohol, especially in schools and childcare facilities.
- Apply. Put enough product on hands to cover all surfaces.
- Rub hands together, until hands feel dry. This should take around 20 seconds.
- Note: Do not rinse or wipe off the hand sanitizer before its dry; it may not work as well against germs.
Dr Todorovic also strongly advises anyone who is showing similar symptoms to that of the COVID-19, like fever, cough and shortness of breath, to stay at home and not go out into the community. From here, the person could call 141 to ask for guidance on what they should do next, as well as for any assistance.
However, he notes that should a person who stays home feel any worse, for example if fever with shortness of breath appears, they must get to a proper indicated medical service / hospital.
It is important for anyone in this case to use their own private means of transportation to the hospital or to be collected by the hospital staff. This, he says, will go a long way in ensuring that other people in public transport like buses, and those at clinics and hospitals are not infected as well.
There are some critical questions that a person displaying symptoms should be asked:
2. Have you been in contact with anyone from these countries?
Dr Todorovic adds that two levels of isolation for any epidemic is also crucial in preventing the spread of a disease. This should include one area for people who are suspected with symptoms and one for those who are confirmed cases.
“Protection starts with yourself,” he says, “but it is also important for the government to educate the population about protection and prevention measures, and for information, updates and instructions to continuously be shared via the media”.
F.P.
