So far, there has only been one case of the Zika virus in Guyana, Minister of Public Health Dr George Norton says.
“The Ministry of Public Health wants to make it very clear that only one case of the Zika virus has been presented in Guyana,” Norton told reporters at a press conference on Friday. He was accompanied by Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix and Minister of Tourism Catherine Hughes along with other health officials attached to the ministry.
A 27-year-old woman, whose addresses were listed as Rose Hall, Corentyne and Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara had tested positive for the virus. She had reportedly displayed symptoms of fever, body rash, pain and conjunctivitis which were first treated on January 2 and was diagnosed with Zika. A sample of her blood was taken and it was confirmed that she had the virus.
“In a few days, we would like to be able to declare her and her neighbourhoods entirely Zika free,” Norton declared.
He went on to explain that after the diagnosis was made, the vector control department immediately swung into action. “… We tested every single member of her family while we simultaneously applied the malathion to the entire neighbourhood in the form of spray…”
The woman was monitored, while tests were also carried out for chikungunya and dengue, both known to be spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Norton said that while the ministry awaits the return of further test results, its focus was on the continuous measures being implemented to prevent further cases of Zika. This, he explained, would include ongoing fogging exercises being done across the country, distribution of treated mosquito nets for pregnant women as well as health and environmental education on how to prevent contracting Zika.
Norton said, “We have been consistently applying that chemical [malathion] in the form of fog which goes air borne very quickly while combating breeding zones on, or close to the ground.” Additionally, the vector control team has extended its environmental programme.
Head of the Vector Control Unit Dr Horace Cox emphasised that the backbone of the entire strategy to address Zika is based on preventing and controlling breeding sites of mosquitos.
“As we go around in communities and house to house, we ask that everyone participate by covering buckets, looking after water tanks, that is ensuring that they have covers, by cleaning drains, weeding grass etc,” Cox said.
He also stressed the importance of having pregnant women sleep under mosquito nets, specifically the chemically treated ones. He went on to say that net distributions are currently ongoing across the country which is another measure taken to help protect pregnant mothers with additional concern for children who are under five years old and other members of the family.
These two steps complement the fogging exercises. “We can say that in six of our ten administrative regions fogging exercises have begun and by the start of next week we will be completing all ten regions to ensure that across Guyana we are fighting Zika,” he stated. He added that for the unit’s actions to be effective, the citizens must play their part in working with the team.
Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Shamdeo Persaud explained that the virus had been recorded years ago in Uganda followed by some small outbreaks over the years and surfaced in the Americas less than a year ago in neighbouring Brazil and has since spread to about 24 countries.
Dr Persaud said, “Our part of the world has unique features that allow for the spread. Firstly, our population has never been exposed to this kind of virus before, therefore we have no immunity that would have built up over the years. Secondly, we have the right conditions for viruses like Zika to spread.”
He noted that signs and symptoms of Zika are very similar to other febrile illnesses and include or are associated with headaches, joint and muscle pains and conjunctivitis while in some rare instances the virus can lead to neuromuscular problems as a sequel in adults.
On the other hand, women who would have been infected during the early stages of pregnancy can have some damage done to the developing foetus, which can result in a neurodevelopmental disorder known as Microcephaly, where the neurological system inclusive of the brain may not develop as it should.
The CMO went on to describe Zika as a very mild infection that can go unnoticed, as only one in four patients would develop some symptoms. In relation to possible treatment of the virus, Dr Persaud explained that there is no specific anti-viral agent for the treatment of Zika, nor any vaccines available right now. But work is being done by other countries including Canada to produce a vaccine and subsequently have it tested.
In the meantime, he said that based on the treatment recommended by the ministry, persons are advised that pain relievers should be used judiciously because of the long-term effects these can have.
“We continue to send reference samples to the regional reference lab in Trinidad and only last night we received another nine results from the samples we had sent, none of which have tested positive,” the CMO related.
