Disease Surveillance and Response Unit |30 April 2020

The Coordination team: (l to r) Dr Christian Annasse, Dr Vivianne Camille and Dr Dominique Tirant.

‘We are doing our part in this united effort to combat COVID-19 but we are still on alert’

Doctors and nurses are the first ones risking their lives to save us from the coronavirus pandemic. What does it mean for these professionals to risk their own health – and their families’ – for the greater good? Our team went to visit the team that is responsible to intervene immediately whenever there is an alert of any disease in the country – the Disease Surveillance and Response Team.

Rapid Response Team

This team has two components: the coordination centre (3 doctors) and the field team (9 doctors and one nurse). The team is led by Dr Christian Annasse. “The Disease Surveillance and Response Unit has always existed and we were incorporated into this team with the mandate to carry out case investigations of COVID-19 in Seychelles and initiate the appropriate intervention. We work in unison with the Surveillance team in achieving our objectives. We work mainly on the investigation side whenever we receive a suspected case. We go on the field and do the necessary investigation about and around the case. We look for all the contacts and we recommend the appropriate actions to be taken. We initiate the first series of tests to be conducted on the patient and then we continue with the follow up. A report is being made for each case,” explained Dr Annasse.

He also noted that the team is being assisted constantly by the public health laboratory, the transport unit, the Public Health Authority and the community. “The work we did was a concerted one and I am sure that helped in containing the virus.”

Talking about the hours of work for this team, Dr Annasse said that there was no fix time as “when the cases started to increase, we had to work 24 hours trying our best to control the situation. Both coordination and field teams had to work shoulder to shoulder to attend the demands. Recently six more dental therapists who were trained were added to the team.

“The field team is composed mainly of junior young doctors and it takes a lot of sacrifice and will to do what the team is doing. Dedication to our profession and striving to do our best to protect the public from the spread of COVID-19 has been our driving forces! We were doing it mainly for the love of our country and for the people of Seychelles. The team was put together by the management of the hospital and we come from different sections. Support and encouragement from fellow health care workers, family and the community has helped us to remain focused on our work,” noted Dr Annasse.

“Even though the situation remains stable, we are still on alert. We are still investigating the contacts. I want to stress, however, that this is only the beginning and we do not know what might happen when we open our frontiers. We learnt a lot and we are still learning! We appreciate when people collaborate and support us as we are not doing an easy job. When people do not cooperate, our work becomes more difficult, hence we have to make sure that we work together and we achieve our objectives together,” underlined Dr Annasse.

The Coordination team is composed of Dr Christian Annasse, Dr Vivianne Camille and Dr Dominique Tirant.

Rapid Response Field Team

‘We are still protecting the people of Seychelles as we cannot put the people with more experience at risk!’

The field team consists mainly of junior doctors. Are they scared of COVID-19? At first some of them yes, but then the love for their country and for their job made them step up and be on the forefront to fight the COVID-19 on the field. Why such a young team? The young doctors themselves said that “We are still young and given the situation, we think even if we catch the virus, we will be in a better position to fight it. We also need our more experienced doctors to be there for the system to keep functioning. They can do what we can, but we cannot do what they can. We are still protecting the people of Seychelles as we cannot put the people with more experience at risk!”

Hearing them and seeing their state of mind, I could not help having goose bumps. Seychelles NATION has the pleasure to share with you some of their comments and we say a big THANK YOU to these YOUNG AND FEARLESS WARRIORS.

Team A:

Dr Roddy Micock (26 years), leader of the team: “We work in collaboration with the coordination team who receive info from different sources and then we assess the situation together. We then deploy a team on the field to go assess the patient, take samples and also transfer the patient to the necessary location. We officially started on March 15 and created the team of 9 doctors on March 18. We started with a team of two at first and to be honest, it was very very hectic as we had to cover the whole of Seychelles. Eventually when we had more doctors and it became manageable as we could make four teams to share the load of the work. To start off, I must admit it was scary. It is a new virus, new to the whole world, it is still being researched and we were a little bit frightened and that did not take away the fact we had to help our country. So we all had to step up and do what was needed at the time. Personally, COVID-19 was not foreseen, the fact that I am part of the war against this common enemy of the world; it makes me happy to be on the frontline fighting, knowing that I am protecting my people. It is also something that my five-year-old ‘me’ was dreaming about as Roddy the doctor.”

Dr Stephanie Joseph (27 years): “It is my first year as doctor and I could have never foreseen this situation. At the beginning it was really challenging, but the fact that we have a solid team helped a lot. We each had each other’s back and we each learned more as the days went by. Since it is the first time we have such a pandemic in Seychelles, I hope we learn from this experience and hopefully as well in our career. Personally, at the beginning there are so many things that you think you cannot face or get through and every day it was a chance to prove myself wrong. This pandemic made me stronger.”

Team B:

Dr Colin Telemaque (26 years): “It is a good feeling to know that you are doing your part. You can somehow relate what you see in the news and you know that you are also involved in the fight for your country. It depends on how the day goes, sometimes I go back home and sometimes at Avani.”

Dr Rekha Vidot (26 years): “Initially I was working at the quarantine facility and then was transferred to the Rapid Response Team. It has been great but there is also the sacrifice bit where you cannot see your family or hug anyone. It is fun being with the team though and we support each other and we are doing the best we can.”

Team C:

Dr Nelly Marie (28 years): “It’s encouraging to be part of the group and it feels good to know that you are being able to help your country at a time when your country needs you. It is not easy and it a stressful time. But with the support of each other we are able to get through and it’s been a very tough and a good experience. I thank God for the people that surrounds us and for the opportunity to serve our country.”

Dr Laurent Nourrice (29 years): “For me it has been a good experience so far and it is an honour to serve Seychelles as much as we can. The team has been very strong and united.”

Team D:

Rhonda Burka (36 years): “I am a nurse. Rapid response is something different than what we as nurses usually do. We usually go in an ambulance and go in front of people’s home, but there are some parts of intervention that we are doing now that is new to me. It is interesting as I am learning new stuffs. COVID-19 allowed me also to discover my country as I went to places I had never been to before. Our country is blessed and we have to thank God for that!”

Dr Isha Barreau (27 years): “At first it was hectic and we had this pressure on us. And I did not know what I was going to face on the field, but then after you get used to it. I always had this in my mind the whole time: I am not doing this for me. I am doing this for my family, for the country and its citizens. I believe that the Ministry of Health puts all the efforts required in this battle so that we can contain this virus. This team now is like a family and when we get deployed we wait for each other as we know that each one of us is making a difference. We also make a lot of sacrifices as we do not get to see our loved ones. The sacrifice is paying off as we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Dr Vital Philoe (29 years): “When we just started, personally I did not know what was in play. As a young doctor and with our adventurous spirit, it took over the fright. With this pandemic, we are getting to know each other better and working together becomes easier. We are learning together and we are facing the same difficulties. Now I do feel more comfortable and still happy to be on the frontline.”

Specific gear

COVID-19 Fashion: all doctors on the field have a special gear that they have to wear whenever they are going on the field. “As soon as they arrive at the hospital, they change to this disposable scrub. When they are deployed to assess a suspected case, they wear their personal protective equipment (PPE) which include gown, face mask, goggle, gloveshead cover and shoe cover then they check the patient. Once completed they have to properly remove the PPE and throw away the outfit in the bin,” explained Dr Vivianne Camille.

Compiled by Vidya Gappy

Photos: Jude Morel