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Jun 03, 2015 News
– as Health Ministry takes precaution against emergent virus
Fogging is one of the sustained tactics that the Ministry of Health will be undertaking to guard against the
emergent Zika Virus. However, the prevailing rainy season is proving to be a hindrance to the early precautionary measures against a potential outbreak.
This is according to Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, who yesterday admitted that “the weather is bad (incessant rainfall) now, so we have not been fogging as we should.”
An outbreak of the Zika Virus recently occurred in neighbouring territory Brazil prompting Caribbean and South American countries to implement precautionary measures.
According to the World Health Organisation, Chikungunya and the newly emergent virus, Zika, are transmitted by the same vectors – Aedes Aegypti and Aedes albopictus – that transmit dengue.
Guyana for the first time last year was faced with an outbreak of the Chikungunya virus, which, like most other vector-borne viruses, is manifested with vomiting, nausea, muscle and joint pains, rashes, headaches and could include loss of appetite, among other symptoms.
Therefore it has been concluded that vector control strategies aimed at preventing dengue will also largely prevent these two emerging viruses.
Moreover, Dr. Persaud noted that “we don’t have a separate Zika Virus plan…what we have planned to do is what we do regularly through international health regulations but we will strengthen and maintain those initiatives.”
While Vector Control, in terms of fogging and residual spraying within communities, will be a crucial strategy in combating the Zika Virus, like other mosquito-borne viruses, Dr. Persaud confided
that the Ministry will be directing a great deal of focus on raising awareness. This, he explained, will translate to efforts being focused on educating citizens of the importance of keeping their environments clean and free from breeding sites for mosquitoes as far as possible.
The transmitting vector is known to thrive in relatively clean but stagnant water, thus citizens are urged to continually ensure that such sites are swiftly removed.
Added to this, Dr. Persaud said that the Ministry has been maintaining surveillance of ports of entry, similar to what was introduced when an Ebola threat had surfaced last year.
As before, the surveillance will entail the monitoring of people upon their arrival to this country to ascertain if they have any of the related symptoms of a viral infection.
The CMO disclosed, too, that he has already instructed that health workers at the various public health facilities across the country take samples from people who present with unusual fever symptom or even regular fever symptoms.
“This has started at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and some other facilities…they are collecting samples routinely at these sites,” said Dr. Persaud.
While Guyana will be able to do some initial tests, the CMO informed that samples will be sent to the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) in Trinidad for additional testing. This process is done for other vector-borne diseases, said Dr. Persaud.
He disclosed too, that the local Health Ministry will continue its collaboration with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) also located in Trinidad.
“They are directing us, particularly as it relates to sampling and testing, so that if any new virus comes we want to know quickly, so that it doesn’t spread and we have a big outbreak to deal with.”
According to Dr. Persaud, “we want to prevent them first of all and then we want to know quickly if they do arrive and we want to alert people of the prevention measures.”
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