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Guyana to discuss border surveillance with close neighbours

May 01, 2009 News

Guyana is not taking any changes as the Swine Flu virus continues to spread around the world. Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, has revealed that Guyana is currently working with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) in immediately planning a meeting of technical officers from Venezuela, Suriname and Brazil to discuss surveillance procedures at the borders.
Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised its alert level for the fast-spreading swine flu to its next-to-highest notch, signaling a global pandemic could be imminent.
Minister Ramsammy noted that an internet conference was held on Tuesday with all the Ministers of Health in the Americas appraising each other of the status of swine flu in each country and the actions being taken to prevent or mitigate transmission.
The Ministry has maintained a stock of 20,000 doses of Tamiflu and is ready to distribute these for use in the health care facilities and also has the capacity to produce the treatment.
Dr. Ramsammy told Kaieteur News Wednesday evening that in case Guyana has an outbreak of the virus, it will use its production capacity and assist countries if the need arises.
The Ministry is advising persons who might be traveling to countries where cases of swine flu have been identified to do so only if absolutely necessary at this time.
To date, Guyana has no evidence to support any case of swine flu in the country, but a number of actions have been instituted by the Ministry of Health. These include heightened surveillance at ports of entry, including the international airports, seaports and at the borders.
Through a number of actions, persons entering Guyana will be monitored for fever and flu.
The ports of entry surveillance will include the airlines and ships submitting Aircraft and Ship Health Declaration as the Health Ministry will rigidly implement the International Health Regulations (IHR) requirement.
The Ministry of Health has also heightened its health facilities surveillance, as every health facility must report all fever cases, while a special unit has been established to follow the cases.
According to Minister Ramsammy, there is a laboratory testing protocol in place.
It was also noted that the Chief Medical Officer is meeting with health care providers, public and private, to alert them and to give a case definition and how to categorise cases as suspicious.
So far, the virus has spread to at least 10 U.S. states from coast to coast and swept deeper into Europe.
In the United States, President Barack Obama mourned the first U.S. death, a Mexican toddler who had traveled with his family to Texas.
The WHO has confirmed human cases of swine flu in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Britain, Israel, New Zealand and Spain.
Germany and Austria became the latest countries to report infections.
Germany reported four cases yesterday, while Austria reported one.

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