Latest update December 4th, 2024 2:40 AM
Awareness drive crucial to tackling Chikungunya virus
– Media Corps hears at workshop
While the Government, through its Ministry of Health, has a responsibility to cater to the many facets of the health of the nation, this responsibility does not reside solely with the ruling administration.
Some of the PAHO officials at yesterday’s workshop.
This assertion was made by Pan American Health Organisation Adviser on Malaria, Dr. Maria Sanchez, who related that members of the population must recognise that they too must take charge of ensuring that measures are in place to protect them from potential health challenges.
Dr. Sanchez who was addressing a PAHO spearheaded media workshop at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown, stressed that the media has a role in helping to inform the public of its responsibility. She was at the time directing attention to the Chikungunya virus.
The Chikungunya virus, like Dengue fever, is transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito which is prevalent in sections of Guyana.
“The Government has to come, has to spray, has to do this, has to do that, but you as the media are very important to us, because we need the population to understand that it is our problem; it is not a Government’s problem,” said Dr. Sanchez. Moreover, she highlighted that “it is vital the work that you do promote the actions that people can take within their homes to actually prevent these diseases. You can spray the whole of Georgetown every night and you still won’t achieve what has to be achieved.”
According to Sanchez, if moves are not made to encourage prevention at the level of the homes, there can be no expectation that the Government’s efforts will be as effective as it could be.
The simplest things, such as stopping accumulation of water in yards, Sanchez said, could be highlighted among the crucial measures that persons could embrace to help halt the transmission of the virus.
Speaking to the outbreak of the virus here earlier this year, PAHO Resident Representative, Dr. William Adu Krow, highlighted that Guyana responded well. The virus was first detected in sections of Canje, Berbice, Region Six, with Minister of Health Dr. Bheri Ramsaran making an official announcement in late May.
But ahead of confirmation of the virus here by the Caribbean Public Health Agency in Trinidad, Dr. Adu Krow noted that a number of fever cases were gaining the attention of the health sector in Region Six. As a result, moves were soon made to undertake Rapid Diagnostic Tests to ascertain the root of the fever symptoms.
“When they didn’t have a positive test for malaria and dengue they decided that it was something else, so they took the samples to Trinidad then Chikungunya was diagnosed,” the PAHO Representative recalled.
“All along, everybody said ‘Chikungunya? No we don’t have Chikungunya in Guyana!’…” said Dr. Adu Krow, who insisted yesterday that “because of the diligence of the health workers in Region Six “we realised after all that we did have Chikungunya.”
Following the announcement of the first few cases, subsequent reports suggested that the spread of the virus had escalated. Although the last official report out of the Ministry is that there are 31 confirmed cases, this publication has been informed that the cases are in excess of 60, and these have been detected in various sections of the country.
Reports suggest too that samples have not been taken from all individuals exhibiting symptoms which characterise the disease, but rather, random tests were done by the Ministry to ascertain the locations that the virus has spread to.
According to Dr. Adu Krow, while great efforts are being sustained by the Ministry to tackle the virus, there still remains quite a lot to be done in terms of health promotion and disease-prevention activities to ensure that the spread of the virus is limited.
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