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Public health sector better positioned to care for microcephaly babies — 17 being afforded rehabilitation and paediatric care
In excess of 20 cases of microcephaly births have been recorded by the Ministry of Public Health since 2016 and about 17 of these are currently benefiting from rehabilitative and paediatric services.
Although the Ministry had initially guarded its microcephaly information, yesterday it made known that related births were recorded to date in Regions One, Two, Four, Six, Seven, Nine and Ten.
In fact, it has been found that when compared to the United States, Canada, Jamaica and Brazil, Guyana ranks number one in terms of the growth of the disease.
But Guyana is currently better positioned to offer both clinical and non-clinical care since it has forged strategic collaborations with its technical partners for just this purpose.
This was highlighted at a close-out forum for a tactical Maternal and Child Survival Programme [MCSP] which was held at the Kingston, Georgetown, Roraima Duke Lodge.
Gracing that forum was United States Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch.
She said, “It is my pleasure to be here for today’s close out event…The health partnership between our governments supported clinical and non-clinical Zika services, benefitting infants, children and families across Guyana [and] it shows that significant impact has been made to fight the first outbreak of Zika and prepare Guyana for the next.”
The MCSP initiative spanned a period of 15 months [January 1, 2018 – March 1, 2019] and was aimed at equipping medical personnel with knowledge on how to treat patients who have contracted the Zika virus, as well as disaster risk management.
Through the MCSP, the Public Health Ministry was able to improve the clinical capacity of service providers for newborns and small babies. The project also improved, health workers’ ability to provide therapeutic, early stimulation to children experiencing development delays and psychosocial support to mothers and families affected by Zika.
The virus could be transmitted not only through infected mosquito bites but, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, it can be transmitted from an infected mother to her unborn child and unprotected sex with a person who has the virus.
In addition to microcephaly, the Zika Virus has also been linked to Guillain-Barre Syndrome which is a rare but serious autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks healthy nerve cells in the peripheral nervous system. This leads to weakness, numbness and tingling and can eventually cause paralysis.
There were reports that one suspected case of Guillain-Barre Syndrome was reported. However, microcephaly has been on the Health Ministry’s front-burner since 2016 when there was an outbreak of the Zika virus here.
The virus can cause serious birth defects to an unborn child’s brain and physical appearance.
The virus is known to manifest with symptoms including fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. However, the symptoms of Zika virus may not manifest, are not present or may be mild in some cases and can last up to one week.
In keeping with the government’s mandate of promoting good health and preventative care for all, the MCSP initiative is one that goes hand in hand with the United Nations Development Programme’s Sustainable Development Goal Number Three which speaks to ‘Good Health and Well-being’.
The aim is to achieve universal health coverage, and provide access to safe and affordable medicines and vaccines for all.
Supporting research and development for vaccines is an essential part of this process and to make a bold commitment to end AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases by 2030.
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