The Industry Health Centre has referred over 100 suspected Chikungunya cases to the Georgetown Public Hospital after residents from four communities exhibited signs of the mosquito-borne virus, a source has said.
A reliable source at the clinic stated that over 100 persons visited the centre with clinical signs of the virus and were referred to the hospital for treatment and blood testing. The source further stated that they saw patients from Liliendaal, Industry, Ogle and Cummings Lodge who complained of severe joint pains and high fever—all symptoms of the virus.
“We have had a lot of patients with muscle pains, joint pains, severe fever and headaches,” the source said, describing the situation as an outbreak.
There were reports of the virus being present at Liliendaal and Plaisance on the East Coast of Demerara—where one young woman had to be hospitalised. These reports continue to surface as cases of the mosquito-borne virus climb in Berbice. There were reports of hundreds of villagers in Crabwood Creek and Albion travelling to the New Amsterdam Hospital for treatment.
Shadow Health Minister for the main opposition, APNU Dr. George Norton said that they could not be a 100 percent certain that the clinical symptoms are in fact signs of the virus until tests were brought back from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) in Trinidad and Tobago. “What we are seeing in the clinics are people with severe pains and high fever since Chikungunya was first detected in Guyana, so we can surmise that it probably is,” he stated.
However, he said that the health officials should have tackled the issue through the sensitisation of the public. “We have a problem where we need to be more specific. More works should have been done,” he added.
He said it was unfortunate that Guyana has a national reference laboratory with equipment and officials were still sending out samples to Trinidad. While they were training someone to work in the lab, he said, they should hire temporary personnel to test samples right here in Guyana.
So far there have been 62 confirmed cases but fears continue to grow that the figures may be more than what is being reported. The Health Ministry is yet to release any new information on the spread of the virus throughout Berbice and Georgetown.
Some of the symptoms of Chikungunya include sudden high fever, joint pains, muscle pains, skin rashes and headaches. And while there is no specific treatment for the virus, medicine is available to treat the symptoms.
The mosquito carrier is identified by white markings on the legs and a pattern of a lyre on the thorax. It is usually seen throughout the day and night even though it bites mostly at dusk and dawn.
“Everyone I know… every family has this virus and it’s spreading in Berbice. We are just praying that it will pass,” one resident of Albion, Berbice recently told Stabroek News.
The woman said that the virus did not seem to be under control.
She said Berbicians were so desperate to get treatment that they were spending their money on injections to relieve the pains, indicating that doctors with private practices were charging people $5,000 to administer an injection that is believed to bring relief.
