Another year, another gastroenteritis outbreak

Jan 15, 2017 News

…but a proactive approach could be the answer

By Sharmain Grainger

Bloody watery stool, abdominal cramps, headaches and other pains together with vomiting, fever and loss of appetite, among a number of individuals in a single location can easily be translated to an outbreak of gastroenteritis.

Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton

Gastroenteritis is essentially an infection of the intestines and is sometimes referred to as a stomach flu that could have fatal outcomes if not treated properly and in an efficient manner.
For years the public health sector has been forced to battle such outbreaks in outlying regions, with this year being no exception.
Outbreaks are often linked to the use of untreated water from contaminated sources, and mining activities has reportedly been a major cause of such contamination, in addition to persistent unhygienic practices. Children are usually the hardest hit when such outbreaks occur, with some of them even dying as a result.
Just last week the Ministry of Public Health announced an outbreak of gastroenteritis in Aishalton, Region Nine. Aishalton is an Amerindian village that is situated in the Rupununi savannah of southern Guyana. Just under 60 cases have been confirmed by the Public Health Ministry, but it is expected that deaths associated with this outbreak will be averted this year. Last year at least one death was reported when there was an outbreak in Baramita, Region One. Baramita is another Amerindian community, located in northern Guyana.
The Baramita outbreak and the resulting death had in fact impacted how then Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton, viewed such situations. In fact during a recent interview with this publication, he noted that he is desirous to see the Public Health Ministry be more proactive rather than merely reactive to avoid such outbreaks.
“We must be ahead of the game. Health isn’t just about taking care of the sick, we must prevent sickness wherever and whenever we can,” said the Minister, who had opted to start doing just this.
Although Dr. Norton has since been re-assigned to deal with Social Cohesion by Government, he has left a proactive legacy that was last week amplified by current Public Health Minister, Ms. Volda Lawrence. Minister Lawrence disclosed that Dr. Norton, even before the outbreak occurred, had visited Aishalton and a number of areas, during the latter part of last year. He didn’t merely meet and greet the residents of Region Nine, but he also took along medication to treat gastroenteritis.
According to Dr. Norton, all this was done as part of a proactive approach to health care. In fact, he claimed to have had a plan mapped out on how to effectively help to prevent such outbreaks altogether.
Dr. Norton recently outlined, “we first of all have to bear in mind that gastroenteritis can in most cases be water-borne, so we have got to have a proper water supply system in place. Secondly, we have got to educate the people about how to treat their water and to keep it safe…but we need to ensure that medication is at all times on the ground…”
Minister Norton is confident that gastroenteritis could become a thing of the past. But when questioned as to why such a goal has evaded the Ministry for so long he stated, “I don’t think that we can stay at Lot 1 Brickdam, Georgetown and get the job done….we can’t be here in Georgetown and understand and resolve a problem in Port Kaituma (Region One) for instance.”
According to Dr. Norton, for too long the Public Health Sector, even under his watch, has been guilty of being reactive.
“We have to change this culture – only when things happen we rush into areas with the biggest and most complex team, but why must there be an outbreak before we take action?’ We have got to be proactive; we have got to go in and recognise that a well at Kamwatta (Region One) is not functioning and we have to get these things in order, we have to ensure that the water is treated after the well starts functioning too.”
But Dr. Norton is well aware that the Public Health Ministry, by no stretch of the imagination, can achieve the intended goal alone. Moreover, he noted that the Ministry has to embrace a multifaceted approach, whereby it works in close collaboration with individuals and organisations, including the Ministry of Natural Resources.
“We are boasting about the amount of gold we produce; all this came from mining activities, and we can’t put our heads in the sand and say that mining does not affect the environment. However, we can reduce it, depending on the method that is used,” Minister Norton amplified as he added “we cannot simply throw caution to the wind, we have got to be cautious of the impact and address it.”
Moreover, Minister Norton from his Social Cohesion desk said that he convinced that if a proactive, collaborative approach, coupled with education, is fully embraced, outbreaks such as gastroenteritis could quickly become a threat of the past.
The Minister, however, cautioned against complacency, once the desired goal is realised.
“One of the things we suffer from is complacency, but as health care workers we should never be complacent. We can never lower our guards. We have got to always be vigilant, and that is why the different programmes are so necessary in public health,” Dr. Norton stressed.
Health officials usually encourage people who are diagnosed with gastroenteritis to consume more than the usual amounts of fluids to avoid dehydration due to diarrhoea and vomiting. Medication such as paracetamol is administered to ease fever and the aches and pains associated with the infection.
Once treatment is administered efficiently, symptoms have been known to dissipate within a few days.