Tests conducted on samples taken from residents of the North West District have linked a bacterial infection that contaminates water with the recent outbreak of a gastro-like illness that is blamed for several deaths.
This is according to Director of the Regional Health Services (RHS) of the Ministry of Health (MoH) Dr Narine Singh. In a telephone interview yesterday, Singh told Stabroek News that the sample tests, which were analyzed at the National Reference Laboratory of the Georgetown Public Hospital, indicated that the illness was caused by an E. coli bacterium (a member of the Coliform bacterial indicator family) which contaminates water. He said that the tests were conducted on stool and water samples taken from the Region One area.
E. coli (abbreviated form of Escherichia coli) is a rod-shaped member of the Coliform group which is almost exclusively of faecal origin, and their presence gives an effective confirmation of faecal contamination. Research has shown that the Coliform bacterial group is abundant in the faeces of warm–blooded animals and could also be found in aquatic environments, in soil and in vegetation. Coliforms are easily spread and their presence gives an indication that other pathogenic organisms of faecal origin may be present.
According to Dr Singh, the RHS representatives in the North West District area have been reinforcing the importance of healthy sanitation practices to residents in the area where the use of water for drinking and cooking purposes are concerned, as the department continues to monitor the illness. He said that at the moment, there have been very few cases of persons suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting, symptoms associated with the illness being reported in the area.
Residents in the Moruca area, where the cases were more prevalent a few months ago, told Stabroek News yesterday that the illness appears to have eased, although there are still a few cases where persons have been seeking treatment at the Kumaka District hospital. These persons were, however, treated and sent away.
Following the deaths of several persons after symptoms associated with the illness in the Moruca sub-region in late June, the MoH dispatched several health teams from the RHS to Region One to ascertain the extent and causes of the illness. The government department has since been working to upgrade the medical capacities of Community Health Workers (CHW) stationed in the area.
Among the persons who passed away as a result of the illness were Moruca residents Calvin Charlie, 32; his mother, Helena Charlie, 63; pensioner Albert De La Cruz and a toddler, Troydon Thornhill. Residents had expressed concern about the safety of their health as a result of the outbreak of the illness. Calvin Charlie’s death, according to a death certificate seen by this newspaper, was as a result of dehydration, even though he had been hospitalized for four days and given IV drips. His mother’s cause of death was listed as a result of diarrhoea and vomiting.
The MoH had disputed the cause of the deaths of De La Cruz and Thornhill, stating that the latter had a kidney problem which led to his death, while De La Cruz died after suffering a heart failure. There had also been several deaths at Port Kaituma, as well as cases of persons seeking treatment for the ailment at the Mabaruma District Hospital and at health facilities at Matthew’s Ridge in the Matarkai sub-region.
The RHS Director told Stabroek News earlier that the illness was as a result of the manner in which persons in the area used water sourced from nearby rivers and creeks and he stated at the time that the root of the problem related to persons in outlying areas being reluctant to seek medical attention at hospitals in their area in a timely manner.
