Living with H1N1 – 10 H1N1 Counter Measures for Singaporeans

H1N1, love it or hate it, you have to live with it. In this 3 part series, Multiclickz will share with all our readers everything they need to know about H1N1 as a Singaporean.

Part 1 – 10 H1N1 Counter Measures for Singaporeans

Part 2 – 10 Myths and Facts about H1N1

Part 3 – 10 H1N1 Clusters in Singapore

10 H1N1 Counter Measures for Singaporeans

In the first part of the 3 part series, let Multiclickz team share with our readers 10 counter measures that the nation is taking against the virus.

The number of H1N1 cases in Singapore has crossed the 300 mark. The number of locally linked cases are also increasing at an alarming rate. Even with all the measures in place to extract new cases from the community, it is not easy to locate the infected patients because the symptoms will only appear 7 days after exposure. Multiclickz has reviewed the course of actions taken by the Singapore Government, and we have provided more suggestions on how we can tackle this pandemic together as a nation.
There is also more information and resources in the Ministry of Health (MOH) website here

Reduce the amount of social interactions as much as possible
School – Although the MOE has decided not to extend the school holidays , they still allow kids whom have traveled, to self-quarantine for 1 week before resuming lessons. This measure is to minimize the risk of community infection among the younger generation – whom have lower immunity compared to an average Adult. That being said, I would still strongly recommend the extension of the holidays across the board, for safety reasons. This can be done in a few ways. Online homework, reduced holiday duration for the next semester or more makeup classes when the situation is under better control are just a few suggestions. Kids have a lot of interaction in schools and if the infection starts to spread in a school compound, the infection rate will be extremely high.

- University Orientation – June and July happens to coincides with the annual university orientation camps. The schools and faculties should seriously reconsider if they should continue with such activities. Are there enough safety measures in place? I have been to several orientation camps, and I know that close contact is inevitable for most of the activities during the orientation! Are the schools going to conduct daily temperature checks for the whole duration of the camp?

Wash your hands often
Every Singaporean Citizen should know this by now, after the much dreaded SARS event several years ago. Wash your hands as often as possible, especially before touching your eyes and mouth. The Singapore Health Promotion Board placed numerous posters in newspapers and public areas, depicting the correct methods to wash your hands thoroughly. Below is one of the posters prepared by the Health Promotion Board.

There is also a video on how to wash your hands, which was prepared by ITE College East for YouTube

Stay away from others if you are sick (Self Quarantine)
If you are sick, go and see the doctor.
If you feel sick, go and see the doctor.
If you think you are sick, go and see the doctor.
Do not go near anyone until the doctor diagnosed you.

Look out for the big “red tick” at your nearest polyclinics, hospitals and medical centers. These facilities are now equipped with the apparatus to diagnose for H1N1 in situ. (If for any reason you do not have transportation to an approved medical facility, dial 993)

Etiquette when sneezing or coughing
These are basic manners everyone should adopt. Even without this pandemic, whenever we want to sneeze or cough, we should cover our mouth with our hand or with a piece of tissue paper. I hate it when I see people sneezing or coughing right into the face of another person! Sadly, this is a much common sight when commuting on public transport.

The Health promotion board came out with a very nice poster below to educate the public . I like this version particularly.

Contact Tracing
This activity is very labour intensive in my opinion and cannot guarantee 100% traceability for every person whom has interacted with the H1N1 patient. This exercise would however, still be able to contain the degree of spreading to some extent, and hence should still be practiced on a small-medium scale. Maybe this should be limited to immediate families, colleagues and families. If social responsibility is being practiced by all, then that will make the Health Ministry’s job much easier. Right now we have cases of infected patients taking public transport and attending community activities. How would anyone be able to trace all the people they have contacted in such cases?

Vaccine
The Ministry of Health has secured adequate supply of the H1N1 vaccine. They are also looking at alternative supply sources as part of the contingency plan. However these still need to go through clinical trials and I believe it will take at least a few months before they are in use. Once these are ready, will it be an indication that all the counter measures can be relaxed and H1N1 will just be like any other flu we have seen?

Public Education
We talked about personal hygiene. How much are we doing in terms of national education to educate the general public on these? During my last visit to the, the masks the hospital issued were pathetic. It did not even last for an hour and it did not give me the confidence that it would protect me. I ended up going to the 7-11 store to get a 3M branded mask for $4 a piece. In the above posts, I showed 2 posters which are meant to educate our citizens. However, I believe the public attention that these posters are garnering is still not reaching 100%. We still see people not exercising their social responsibilities. There are patients exhibiting H1N1 symptoms and yet maintaining close contact or interaction with the community. They could be either the “botch-up” type or the “not educated type”. We should continue to find ways to educate the latter and punish the former.

Dedicated ambulance service 993
Thumbs up for dedicated ambulance service 993. However, I am not too sure how many people are using these services. I was at Tan Tock Seng Hospital the other day and I actually saw a patient suspected to be infected with H1N1, queuing up together with the rest of the patients for admission into the Accident and Emergency Department. This points back to public education again. Does the general public know what to do when they suspect they have contracted H1N1? I think the answer is No.

Remind your friends
Tell your friends to stay at home if you know they have been traveling and have just returned to the country. Do not meet up with them. Make them know what they should do as a responsible Singapore Citizen. Do not encourage them to think: “Aiyah, this will not happen to people around me”.

Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
Finally, the most important counter measure is to keep your body fit, in order to maintain a strong immune system against all viral and bacterial infections. Exercise regularly. Everyone should have at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 times a week. Have a balanced diet , drink plenty of water and have ample rest. And of course, quit smoking.

Have you have a personal experience or close contact with any H1N1 victims? We will love to hear your experiences and what measures you took. Please share with us in the comments section below!