Last week, the Health Ministry reported that there are 76 confirmed cases of Chikungunya, the mosquito-borne disease that causes acute joint pains and fever. However, Chief Medical Officer Shamdeo Persaud said there may be more since 580 suspected cases came out of health centres across the country but are yet to be confirmed. Stabroek News asked the man/woman-in-the-street for their views on the virus, including how they knew about it and whether the ministry is doing enough to prevent its spread. Here were their reactions:
Alfred Pedro, shoe vendor: `What I’m seeing right now is not effort… this thing is like a talk show. This is an epidemic and it’s going to get really out of hand. We’re seeing all the drains clogged up but nobody’s making any effort to clean up. Imagine, rain fell two days ago and some places are still under water. It’s not going to get better. If they want to keep down the Chikungunya, they at least need to make sure the drainage system is working so mosquitoes don’t harbour. I think the Ministry of Health should come outright and say it and stop hiding and stop misleading the public.’
Hosanna Narine, Consult PR staffer: ‘I think the outbreak is something very serious people should look into. People should be more careful about keeping their environment clean and fogging should be implemented. I haven’t seen any fogging exercises lately. I also think the ministry is shady on the numbers of cases ’cause they don’t want to get people scared and blow things out of proportion.’
Gordon Marshal, money changer: ‘I don’t think on the whole people are educated about Chikungunya. The Ministry of Health is not doing a good job at educating people about it. I think 76 cases is alarming but the ministry is talking about confirmed cases but they are not telling us nothing about the symptoms.’
Arlene Baptiste, UWI student: ‘For the short time I have been here, I think everyone knows it is a mosquito but they don’t know what really it is about. So I think they need to know the basics and be alerted because the figures are high. Plus y’all litter too much so that’s not gonna help the situation.’
Ferdinand Bacchus, businessman: ‘I would want to think that the City Council and the government should work hand in hand so that the city would be much better off. Right now, we don’t have the resources to clean the city. What we need is a sustainable plan for the environment. I think the ministry doesn’t want to reveal the true figures because they don’t want people to panic; to give the true figure would scare people. I think they need to do a little more to educate persons on the virus because people really don’t know what is Chikungunya and its symptoms.
Telesha De Nobrega, self-employed: ‘The only thing I know is that the public needs to be more aware about what it is. I’m aware that it is in my area and so we use nets. So, I think people should use their mosquito nets to prevent it and also try to reduce the buildup of garbage and stagnant waters that harbour the mosquitoes.’
Terry Vandegroot, security guard: ‘I’m only hearing about it but I don’t know how it is caused; we need information on it. For all we know the figures may be more. I was sick couple weeks ago with the symptoms and when I went to the hospital the doctors didn’t
tell me anything about taking the test, they just give me tablets. I think the doctors should alert people.’
Amrita Rivas, immigration consultant: ‘I think it is a problem. I was in Essequibo a few days ago and I came across a few persons suffering with the disease. It was terrible watching a mother look at her newborn baby and couldn’t help him because she was too weak. I’m terribly afraid of it because of how it affects you. They need to do something. We know that it is a disease but we don’t really know what the symptoms are.’
Michael Clarke, vendor: ‘I think the city is too nasty and if we don’t start cleaning this thing would get out of hand. Other places get it but Guyana probably has more cases because the city is nasty and filled with garbage. Also, we need to get the facilities and people to reduce the incidence and also some people to tell us what the symptoms are like. We need to be educated about it.’
Marlon Fredericks, vendor: ‘It’s an awakening call for the Guyanese public. The disease is a problem and as much that can be done to get rid of it by the government and social organisations we would be greatly appreciated.’
