Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 16, 2014 Editorial
People living in Guyana would be understandably less than confident about this government’s handling of health issues. The current Chikungunya virus outbreak which has been detected here seems not to be treated with the level of seriousness a situation of this nature demands. There seems to be a very high degree of vacillation and evasion in official circles is certainly not helping matters, especially where the Guyanese people’s peace of mind is concerned.
With almost two million cases of that mosquito-borne virus detected throughout parts of Asia since 2005 and with outbreaks in Africa and the Americas, it is to be expected that health authorities in countries even remotely likely to be affected, would develop and have in place the appropriate response capabilities. To be now scrambling to establish protocols to deal with what is a major viral infection is a clear indication of misplaced priorities.
The posture of the local health ministry does not seem to reflect similar sentiments. Citizens are left in a state of life-threatening ignorance because of a proven lack of competence in the health sector to treat with similar outbreaks. The confusion reportedly surrounding patients seeking medical attention with the potential for misdiagnosis is not one which should be taken lightly.
Confusion about whether people are affected by Chikungunya or Dengue will not do much to bolster sufferers’ faith in the health system. According to medical practitioners, a patient suffering with Dengue who is misdiagnosed as being infected with Chikungunya and treated for the former is at greater risk of dying. This can be avoided by having trained personnel in place to conduct the relevant tests; something which apparently we do not have.
What is even more worrying is the fact that the conditions which breed the two ailments are one and the same, and parts of Guyana make for a convenient habitat. Another very obvious reality is that if these matters are not addressed sensibly we will be headed for the fate wished for by a former local government minister.
This is the time when our politicians who are medical doctors should demonstrate a high sense of nationalism and maturity by putting their heads together to take us out of our misery. It might even be better if politicians of all shades could just take themselves out of our lives. Up to now there has been no definitive word from government, through its health ministry, to allay our fears and provide reassurance that this situation is under control. If anything they appear as clueless as the Abbot and Costello duo.
The way the World Health Organization (WHO) is looking at the Ebola outbreak which has claimed more than 1,000 lives in West Africa will be instructive for local authorities. Tellingly that virus has been declared an international emergency. Although the significant difference between Chikungunya and Ebola, is that one is communicated by the female Aedes Aegypti mosquito while the latter virus is transmitted by human contact.
Now fast forward to reality. Guyana is not known to be a country which exercises strict immigration controls whether at official points of entry or along its porous borders. This country has an amalgam of nationalities residing both officially and illegally within its various communities. There are in addition to Asians, whose home countries have been affected by the Chikungunya, people from Nigeria, which declared a national emergency in the face of Ebola having confirmed seven cases recently.
Lax immigration controls in a virtual ‘whosoever will may come’ state, places us in an even more precarious predicament. The reasoning here is that if the government cannot organize and respond to episodic health hazards which befall the nation, there is definitely no guarantee that the proven life-threatening Ebola will be contained if it arrives on these shores.
Does anyone in the quarantine section of our port health agency even know what signs and symptoms to look for; and is there any protocol established between that section and immigration officers to deal with any suspected cases? From all indications, citizens are not being provided with the information which assures them that everything is being done to prevent and, if necessary, contain the spread of communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
Apr 19, 2024
SportsMax – West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews delivered a stellar all-round performance to lead her team to a commanding 113-run victory over Pakistan Women in the first One Day...Kaieteur News – For years, the disciples of Bharrat Jagdeo have woven a narrative of economic success during his tenure... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]