The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

THE head of the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Surveillance Unit has advised Bahamians not to be alarmed by reports of a new flu strain in China, explaining that the strain is not new and does not pose a direct threat to The Bahamas at this time.

Dr Balfour-Greenslade told The Tribune yesterday that the strain in question, while concerning internationally, has been around for decades.

“It’s been around forever,” Dr Balfour-Greenslade said. “Every so often we get a few cases. It’s just there. It’s one of those viruses.”

Reports of a rise in cases of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) and other flu-like illnesses in China have raised alarms globally, but Dr Balfour-Greenslade attributed the surge in cases to suppressed immune systems caused by extended COVID-19 restrictions.

“What I believe is happening in China right now,” Dr Balfour-Greenslade explained, “is because, you know where they continually—they’re always masking up, they’re doing the social distancing—they haven’t given their systems a chance to bounce back from all that isolation.”

She added that similar trends were seen globally after COVID-19 restrictions were eased, with people experiencing more severe symptoms from regular cold and flu viruses due to a lack of recent exposure.

Dr Balfour-Greenslade stressed that while the flu strain in China is not currently a threat, surveillance systems in The Bahamas are prepared to detect any changes in trends.

“We monitor quite a few things in-country,” she said, noting the surveillance unit’s strong network of reporting clinics and labs.

“Our clinics are doing necessary testing,” Dr Balfour-Greenslade added. “We get a fairly good idea as to what’s in-country.”

“We monitor what’s going on in the region, internationally, globally,” she said. “We receive information from all over, and based on what we’re receiving, we also give the warning.”

She referenced a recent case in Louisiana where a 66-year-old man became the first in the U.S. to die from bird flu after contact with infected backyard poultry. 

While rare, such cases raise concerns about the virus’s potential to mutate and become transmissible between humans. 

“The challenge is when it moves between species, the more it goes between species, the more opportunity to mutate,” she explained. “We’re watching that situation very closely because you don’t want whatever is in that particular person to develop the ability to jump not just from species to species, but from human to human.”

Dr Balfour-Greenslade also took the opportunity to remind Bahamians of the importance of proper hygiene practices and flu vaccinations. 

She debunked misconceptions about the flu vaccine, explaining that while people sometimes fall ill shortly after receiving the vaccine, it is not because of the vaccine itself.

“Unfortunately, it’s because you’re already incubating,” she said. “The flu vaccine cannot make you sick because it’s not a live virus.”

She highlighted the importance of timely flu vaccinations and noted that delays in obtaining vaccines in The Bahamas can lead to flu circulation before distribution.

According to Dr Balfour-Greenslade, efforts are underway to secure earlier shipments to improve public health outcomes.

She also stressed the importance of good hygiene practices to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses, urging Bahamians to cover coughs with tissues, dispose of them properly, and maintain good hand hygiene, calling it “the best way” to protect oneself and those in proximity during flu season.