Scores of suspected Chikungunya cases detected

Aug 09, 2014 News

…as Guyana Watch treats ‘hundreds’ at East Canje
Hundreds of residents from East Canje, Berbice turned out yesterday at the Rose Hall Estate Primary School to benefit from free medical services by the Guyana Watch team.

Part of the large crowd who turned up at the Rose Hall Estate Primary School.

A total of 451 patients were tended to by the medical team who worked along with volunteers from the Canje Humanitarian Society and the Canje Community Development Association.
President of Guyana Watch, Tony Yassin said that he was pleased with the amount of persons who seized the opportunity to benefit from the outreach.
He expressed satisfaction with his team’s commitment to providing quality health care to underprivileged Guyanese.
Yassin told Kaieteur News that the team of doctors observed that a large amount of residents displayed symptoms of the Chikungunya virus.
He recommended that the Ministry of Health should increase the frequency of mosquito fogging in communities to reduce cases of the virus.
Dentists Apurva Dave and Chiran Reddy treated 78 patients. They performed extractions, fillings and deep cleaning.
Dave said that in comparison to previous outreaches, fewer extractions were performed since most residents displayed “healthy teeth.”
Pediatrician Partha Chatergee treated 55 children in the community. He noted that the most prevalent cases among them were respiratory infections, rashes and suspected Chikungunya.
Meanwhile, the pharmacist Saurabh Mehta told this publication that 100 pain killers were

Dr. Dennis Blanchette performs osteopathic manipulative treatment on his patient.

distributed to each patient suspected of suffering from Chikungunya.
He explained that patients suffering from diabetes and hypertension received at least three months each supply of medication.
The residents expressed gratitude and stated that they were content with the quality of the medical services they received.
A 26-year-old woman, who asked for her name to be withheld, expressed thanks too for the knowledge the doctors imparted about her medical condition.
She said that over the past month, she was producing breast milk although she was not pregnant and had been suffering from severe headaches.
She had visited the clinic yesterday for a check-up, but after being examined by Dr. Jessica Lynn Young, she was diagnosed with pituitary adenoma, which is a type of brain tumour.
She said that though she was disappointed with the news, she is “thankful” that she did not receive it any later.
Another patient, Rajin Latchman, 59, had been unable to move his neck or raise his arm due to muscle contractions within his neck and shoulder.
The 59-year-old was diagnosed with torticollis (spasm of neck muscles) by Dr. Dennis Blanchette who subsequently performed “osteopathic manipulative treatment” to remove the spasm.
The osteopathic manipulative treatment involved hands-on treatment which focused on the patient’s muscular system.
Latchman was left in a state of surprise as he found that after receiving the treatment he could move his neck and arm in any direction; putting an end to the past five months of pain.
The medical team will conclude their activities with their last clinic at the Parika Salem Government School on the West Bank of Demerara.