False measles report places Guyana on PAHO/WHO watch list

Apr 01, 2018 News

Efforts are being made continually by the Ministry of Public Health to improve its public health status. However, its efforts were recently marred, though for a moment, when Guyana was thrust onto a Pan American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation [PAHO/WHO] watch-list. The development was one spurred by a report published by a local daily newspaper – Guyana Times.
The publication in question reported that there was an outbreak of measles in the Barima/Waini area [Region One], a situation that was reportedly due to the influx of Venezuelans who are reportedly entering Guyana. There have been reports of an outbreak of measles in Venezuela.
The newspaper report gained the attention of Senior Public Health Minister, Ms. Volda Lawrence, who raised the issue at Cabinet on Tuesday. This is according Minister of State, Joseph Harmon who disclosed during Thursday’s Post Cabinet press briefing that “the Minister of Health called Cabinet’s attention to the report published in the Guyana Times newspaper by the Regional Chairman of the Barima/Waini area Region Number One that had indicated that Venezuelans who are coming to Guyana were transmitting the measles virus and as a result there was a catastrophe in Region Number One.”
According to Harmon, the Minister told Cabinet that as a result of the article, Guyana had been placed on the PAHO/WHO watch list, along with Brazil, Venezuela and Honduras.
But according to Harmon, a subsequent investigation by technical staff of the Ministry along with representatives of PAHO here in Guyana was able to confirm that the reports emanating from the Region One administration had been patently false since there was no outbreak of measles as claimed.
Harmon said the Minister has since advised that caution be exercised when public pronouncement on health issues are made and stated that “experts should be allowed to perform their duties in relation to such issues.”
Cabinet, the Minister of State said, was assured that the Public Health Ministry would continue to work with the regional administration and the Guyana Defence Force in order to “increase surveillance and to monitor the movement of persons across our borders and also to ensure that health and safety of our border communities in our regions were maintained.”
In 2016, Guyana and the other countries in the Region of the Americas were certified as measles and rubella free having had no confirmed case of either disease for over 15 years.
Measles is a highly infectious illness caused by the measles virus, which manifests with symptoms including: watery eyes, sneezing, and a dry hacking cough.
Although vaccination can prevent many cases of measles around the world, WHO estimates that some 2.6 million unvaccinated people die of measles every year. There is no specific treatment for measles once contracted, health officials are constantly promoting the motion of ‘prevention is better than cure’.
But, according to information out of the Public Health Ministry, the influx of Venezuelans in Region One, and other hinterland regions, has the potential to challenge this status.
Currently the Expanded Programme on Immunization within the Ministry of Public Health boasts of an active surveillance for all vaccine preventable diseases including Measles.
Also, the Ministry is said to have weekly syndromic surveillance nationwide which is used for the early detection of diseases such as measles and rubella.
The Ministry has also highlighted that it has some 105 surveillance sites across the 10 Administrative Regions, which provide weekly reports on “rash with fever” which are characteristic of measles. All suspected cases are identified, interviewed and blood samples sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency for testing.
“Guyana’s international partners are supporting the country’s ongoing efforts to help keep out the entrance of measles,” disclosed Dr. Ertenisa Hamilton, of the Ministry’s Maternal and Child Health [MCH] Office.
Dr. Hamilton said that the small population size of the Region and up-to-date record keeping make it easier for health workers to identify residents who need to be immediately immunised.

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