The number of reported cases of gastroenteritis at Baramita, North West District have decreased to less than one a day, according to Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, who says the Ministry of Public Health is continuing to monitor the outbreak in the area.
Persaud on Tuesday told Stabroek News that he was pleased to say that the situation has “gotten reasonably better” and he noted that from the most recent water samples taken from the affected the areas, only one out of 11 showed signs of contamination.
He further explained that based on the weekly report which was submitted last Sunday, the total number reported of cases was 102, with cases having been “drastically reduced to less than one a day.”
Nevertheless, Persaud emphasised that the technical team in the area remains focused on the work being done since the situation has not yet been totally resolved.
Stabroek News was also told that the ongoing dry weather conditions across the country may have played a role in the initial outbreak in the area.
Persaud explained that as a result of limited clean water sources available to the population, residents are forced to rely heavily on surface water, which is said to be a highly-contaminated source.
This, he said, would be another reason why special emphasis is placed on educating the residents on safe water use.
However, the team has faced some difficulties in overcoming language barriers between its members and residents.
Regional Chairman Brentnol Ashley has told Stabroek News that the technical team was met with a lack of cooperation from some sections of the population since the English language comes second to most of the residents, who mainly use the Carib language. Nevertheless, he explained that measures were since implemented to rectify the issue and persons have begun responding to guidance from the team.
Persaud noted that after discussions with the Senior Environmental Officer, it was agreed that they would move to have the necessary documents be translated into the Carib language, with the assistance of the Amerindian Studies Unit of the University of Guyana.
Additionally, Persaud noted that they plan to utilise more visual health aids for the benefit of the residents.
At the beginning of January, the Ministry of Public Health had announced that it was monitoring the indigenous community after several cases of vomiting and diarrhoea were detected in the area. The gastroenteritis-like symptoms had landed an estimated 60 persons at the Baramita Health centre earlier this month. So far, an eleven-month-old child has been the only casualty of the outbreak.
According to the Government Information Agency (GINA), the technical team, comprising a doctor, a Medex and an Environmental Health Officer, has been on the ground assessing the situation and working to keep the outbreak under control. The team has visited 22 satellite villages in the region, where it has been distributing medication, hydration fluids, and water purification agents, such as bleach, to the residents.
GINA had also stated that a total of 529 residents from Port Kaituma and surrounding communities were affected during an outbreak in 2013 in the North West District. There were three reported deaths. Prior to that, there was an outbreak in 2009 and six residents died.
