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Pandemic preparedness plan in the making
The Pandemic Preparedness workshop in session yesterday
– geared at warding off influenza-type variants
Major efforts will be engaged over the next few days to put definitive measures in place to guard against any possibility of a pandemic outbreak in this part of the world.
In the form of a pandemic preparedness workshop, officials of the Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) met, and together kicked the planning phase into motion yesterday at the Regency Hotel, Hadfield Street, Georgetown.
Signalling the start of the deliberations, Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, disclosed that he was in fact impressed that such an undertaking has been engaged even at a time when Guyana is not experiencing any of the various influenza threats. The Minister noted that he is satisfied that interest remains high in this regard. The workshop is expected to continue until tomorrow, by which time standard operating procedures should be in place.
Pandemic committees, the Minister recounted, were established many years ago when the first threat from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) emerged. That threat, he said, was soon followed by another – Avian Influenza. But though both SARS and the Avian Flu never came, the Minister noted that over the years they still remain threats to the health sector globally.
However, while attention was still focused on the two potential threats, the H1N1 virus did emerge, and in fact had found its way into Guyana.
“We know that we have recorded more than 30 cases of H1N1 in Guyana. But we have been fortunate in the case of the H1N1 virus, because unlike some other countries around Guyana, we did not experience any verifiable H1N1 deaths.”
He noted though that some may argue that in the case of SARS and the Avian Flu, those threats have remained remote, as they had not emerged in the region when they were being dealt with in other parts of the world.
Notwithstanding, the Minister warned that it has always been his conviction that Guyana and the Caribbean as a whole, should prepare for the emergency of threats like SARS and the Avian flu.
In the case of the H1N1 virus, he said that “we anticipated its arrival and we were able to put measures in place. So the potential for widespread H1N1 in Guyana was mitigated. I believe that when we looked at the historical emergency of influenza-like pandemics we have to be concerned that the appearance of pandemic threats has become far more frequent.”
For this reason, the Minister said that there is a reasonable likelihood that other variants of the influenza virus will threaten this year and even onwards.
“Whilst I hope, and we all should hope, that we do not reach a stage where we have to declare a pandemic, countries ought not to wait for that to happen…Since we don’t have the right to speak for other countries we must be committed to the task, so that whether it comes this year, or next year, or five years hence, we are going to be prepared.”
And it is against this very background, the Minister asserted, that the National Pandemic Oversight Committee was formed – to ensure that Guyana as a country is prepared for any pandemic that might emerge. The preparation, he noted, should be one that engages all stakeholders countrywide.
He boasted of a pandemic preparedness plan, adding that Guyana was one of the countries that, from the inception, were engaged in preparing a plan and having it endorsed by various stakeholders, both locally and internationally. The plan was, however, prepared before the emergence of the H1N1 virus, thus does not entail dealing with this virus. As such there is need for the plan to be strategically upgraded, the Minister noted, hence the engagement of preparedness workshop yesterday.
And at the very pillar of the plan should be the notion of prevention, Minister Ramsammy cautioned.
“We would rather ensure that we have no visits by our pandemic friends. We would like to have a friendship that is long distance in this case. So our first task in this plan is to develop a strategy that whenever a new variant, or if one of the existing ones were to attempt a visit, we could keep it out…” Yesterday’s forum saw the presentation of a national disaster plan, the health sector disaster management plan and the national influenza pandemic plan, all of which are expected to help form an upgraded pandemic preparedness plan for Guyana.
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