Latest update January 30th, 2025 6:10 AM
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Health aspect of flood situation has stabilised
– Dr. Ramsammy
Although the rainy season persists, Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy is confident that the health aspect of the resulting flood situation has stabilised.
In an invited comment yesterday, the Minister stated that the reports of persons becoming infected with flood-related diseases have not increased even as he pointed out that there have been no additional suspected cases of leptospirosis.
Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy
Dr. Ramsammy disclosed that at the moment the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) continues to monitor four suspected cases of leptospirosis. He explained that the cases have not yet been confirmed since they all have to be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be tested.
Recently a patient who was admitted at the GPHC as a suspected case of leptospirosis succumbed, bringing the total number of suspected leptospirosis deaths to six for last year.
A post mortem was subsequently conducted and proved that the patient was in fact infected with the disease.
In the meantime, the Minister is cautioning residents to guard against the use of antibiotics to treat various symptoms.
According to him there are dangers associated with the excessive use of antibiotic.
The Minister’s said that his warning comes in wake of calls for the distribution of antibiotic as one of treatments to be utilised to persons in flood affected communities.
“It is easy for people to say just use antibiotics, just give them out wildly…but there are dangers in doing this,” the Minister cautioned.
He pointed out that if too much antibiotic is ingested it will not only kill off opportunistic bacteria but also the ones that live in the human body.
“The ones that live in our body normally help to protect us because it is a competition for space, so when you use an antibiotic you kill off the normal bacteria in addition.”
It is for this reason, the Minister said, that the Ministry has not engaged an antibiotic “giving out mode.”
According to him, “we cannot try to protect against one thing and then leave people vulnerable to other things…Women, for example, if they use too much antibiotics they can leave themselves vulnerable to fungal infections, particularly of the reproductive tract,” the Minister pointed out.
He asserted that the Ministry must endeavour to balance out the risk against the benefits and not just introduce antibiotics “willy nilly.”
Based on observation of the flood situation, the Minister said that his Ministry will continue to monitor the situation through early-morning and late-evening meetings.
The Ministry has been monitoring the flood situation in various flood-hit communities, but according to Dr. Ramsammy, the situation in Region Six is being examined as closely as the areas on the East Coast of Demerara.
“They have needs for health responses and our teams are out there right now.”
He said that he is encouraged by the news coming out from the affected areas since the threat of diarrhoea and vomiting have not occurred as yet.
“I hope that when the rain stops and the flood waters disappear that I still will be in a position to say it didn’t emerge as yet,” the Minister added.
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