No cause for ‘excessive worrying and overreaction’
THE HEALTH Minister Christos Patsalides made a renewed call for calm among the public and the media yesterday, after a frenzied 24 hours that saw accusations fly and people lining up to be tested for the H1N1 flu virus.
Patsalides reminded the public that although visiting the hospital was the correct course of action for those experiencing fever and sore throat, there was no cause for “excessive worrying and overreaction”.
His statements came in the wake of panicked scenes at Nicosia General Hospital on Wednesday night when 30 students arrived there from Ayia Napa after two of their classmates became convinced they had the virus.
“My message, once again, is to maintain hygiene standards and visit a doctor or clinic immediately in the event that symptoms, which everyone should know by now, appear.”
Patsalides reiterated that while going to the hospital to be checked if signs of the flu are noticed is definitely the correct course of action, even a positive diagnosis did not mean that a person needed to be hospitalised.
“We are in constant co-operation and communication with the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, and are handling the issue according to the guidelines and plans which have been given out worldwide.”
Twelve new cases were reported yesterday bringing the total number of cases to 70. Of the 12 new cases, eight were Cypriot and four were foreigners, while there was one new case reported in the north, bringing the total to seven.
According to a Health Ministry press release, of the 151 samples sent to the state lab for testing island-wide, 70 came back positive.
All cases of the flu have so far been very mild in Cyprus, with some health experts speculating that the hot weather is not allowing the strain to proliferate or mutate.
Ayia Napa Mayor Antonis Tsokkos yesterday launched an unprecedented attack on the media, accusing some sectors of embarking on a systematic and intentional falsification of the degree to which the H1N1 virus had spread in the Famagusta area.
Tsokkos’ comments were made during a morning interview on CyBC’s Trito Radio, where he claimed that there was a concerted effort under way “by business interests that hold sway in some media outlets”.
He said these “interests” were actively trying to scare tourists into leaving the Famagusta area and continue their holidays in “other coastal regions” that are not mentioned in media reports about flu cases, such as Paphos.
Tsokkos said this could be interpreted as “an act of war”.
“We respect Paphos [and] we are allies in the struggle for tourism alongside them. Our ambition in making these announcements is not to criticise any other district but merely to highlight the very real fact that there are certain actors that are trying to instigate an economic war that we absolutely refuse to get pulled into.”
Adding to the mêlée was Paralimni Mayor Andreas Evangelou, who repeated Tsokkos’ accusations on the radio show.
“Cyprus is too small for one area to be in competition with the other… it is completely beyond logic how the media can be allowed to pin-point the problem down to specific areas of the island.
“This is not a local problem, it is a problem of Cyprus and the whole world and should be treated as such.”
Speaking to the Cyprus Mail later in the day, Tsokkos was adamant that he in no way wanted to point the finger at anyone or any area specifically, but merely wanted to make sure the public understood that there is no increased risk of contracting the virus in Ayia Napa.
Tsokkos said though there had not been an increase in hotel cancellations, he was still concerned over the impression being given in the media.
“As far as we can tell, foreign tourists are not responding with the slightest hint of worry to reports in the media, though this is not quite the case with local Cypriots.”
The Tourist Committee of Ayia Napa and Protaras issued a statement echoing the mayors’ concerns, saying that the intense coverage of new cases was unfoundedly damaging Cypriot tourism and the broader economy, without the existence of any specific cause.
Panicked students demand H1N1 test
THERE WAS a small frenzy at Nicosia General on Wednesday evening, as some 30 Cypriot teenagers converged on the hospital to get tested en masse for traces of the H1N1 flu.
According to media reports, the group of 18-year-olds were in Ayia Napa celebrating their lyceum graduation and decided to cut short their beach-break when two of the students became convinced they were experiencing the onset of mild symptoms.
This fear was compounded by the news that a classmate who they had had contact with a couple of days previously had been diagnosed with having the virus.
The two incidents seem to have developed into in a case of mass hysteria, with panic quickly sweeping through the group. Despite almost all of them not displaying any signs whatsoever, the group arrived at Nicosia’s Accident & Emergency Ward demanding they be examined. Upon arrival at the hospital, medical staff informed the youths that none of them had any symptoms.
Health Minister Christos Patsalides was forced to dispatch the Head of the H1N1 Management Committee Chrystalla Hadjianastasiou and Manager of the Medical Services Androulla Agrotou to the scene in order to try and quell the situation.
Around 18 of the students remained at the hospital late into the night, waiting for results of their tests, while others were ushered off their concerned and bewildered parents to private clinics.
Head of the A&E department Costas Antoniades described the behaviour of the students as “totally unjustified, unacceptable and bordering on hysterical”, characterising the events as “symptomatic of a society that regularly exaggerates and overreacts.”
He said out of 60 examinations for H1N1 conducted yesterday by Nicosia General, only two were considered as potentially returning a positive result.
Despite the fact that none of the students were displaying any symptoms, when asked whether they were examined, he replied, “Of course… if they ask – we have to.”
