A local doctor said the number of flu-related cases she’s seen at her practice has quadrupled in the last several weeks as she warned residents to implement good health practices.
“This is a conundrum,” Dr. Juliette Dorsett, of Urgent Care Medical Centre, said in a recent interview with The Nassau Guardian.
“I’ve seen quadruple the number of cases, and the cases I’ve seen are the worst I’ve ever seen and I’ve been in this profession for a long, long time.”
She said patients are coming in sicker and their symptoms are lasting longer.
Dr. Dorsett said while it’s extraordinary, it’s not totally unexpected.
“You kind of expected it in a way because of the post-COVID era,” she said.
“A lot of people’s immune system are not as robust.
“A lot of them had COVID and a lot of them are still recovering from long COVID.
“So, I think that’s why we’re having all these severe symptoms. Most of them need treatment, even hospitalization.
“I had a few that I had to send to the hospital with pneumonia.”
Dr. Dorsett said several of her patients were also diagnosed with bronchitis.
She said she’s seen a lot of infants, children and young adults suffering from the flu and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).
Last month, in press statement Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne called on countries to “implement the tools proven to keep communities safe, including vaccines, surveillance, mask wearing and social distancing, particularly in the run-up to the festive period” amid an increase in COVID-19 infections in the region, seasonal influenza and RSV.
While The Bahamas hasn’t experienced an increase in COVID-19 infections, Princess Margaret Hospital’s Emergency Department advised that there has been an increase in respiratory illnesses since the reopening of schools.
“The rise of a single respiratory infection is a cause for concern,” Etienne said during a PAHO media briefing.
“When two or three start impacting a population concurrently, this should put us all on alert.”
