Suriname on alert after coronavirus warning
Due to the fact that many people from Asian countries are expected to arrive in Suriname, safety measures have been taken in response to the reports of the spread of the corona virus in these countries. People who are possibly infected with the virus and who display symptoms of it will receive medical treatment according to the protocol of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) upon arrival at Suriname’s airports. Suriname is on alert and is following the developments regarding the coronavirus closely.
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Ministry has thermo scanner. The Multi-sector Port Health Commission is the First line of defense at the Johan Adolf Pengel (JAP) International Airport located at Zenderij and the Jules Sedney Port in Paramaribo. Guillermo Bodeutsch who is a member of this special taskforce on behalf of the JAP Airport explained that there is a standard protocol in place at the airport and that it is aimed at preventing a potential threat. There is a small chance that the coronavirus will reach Suriname because Suriname has no direct flights with China. There is an intermediate stop at Schiphol in the Netherlands which acts as a hub in Europe. People who are deemed a potential risk are screened at the Dutch airport before being allowed to continue travelling to other parts of the world. The symptoms of the coronavirus do not take long to emerge so if a potential risk manages to slip by Schiphol, he or she will have medical complaints on the flight to Suriname. The Surinamese officials will then be notified so that the necessary measures can be taken to place all the people who came in contact with the potential carrier in observation. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/ WHO) has issued an alert to its member countries on the Novel Coronavirus (nCoV), recommending that “health care workers have access to up to date information on the illness, be familiar with the principles and procedures for handling nCoV infections, and be trained to inquire about a patient’s travel history in order to connect this information with clinical data.”
Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people.