The Ministry of Public Health is monitoring the condition of Pooran Ramcharitar, the East Canje cane-cutter, who was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder said to be associated with the mosquito-borne Zika virus in some countries. This is according to Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, who confirmed that the ministry is aware of the case. However, he could not say whether this specific case is indeed linked to the Zika virus since the origin of the syndrome is often unknown.
Ramcharitar, 22, is a patient of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital on a ventilator, where he has been since being diagnosed with the condition almost two weeks ago.
The man’s father, Surindra Ramcharitar, had explained that his son had returned from work one afternoon with complaints of pains in his ankle, which spread to other parts of his lower body as the days passed.
He was treated twice at the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital but the pain persisted and he began experiencing numbness in his lower body.
As a result, the young man was taken to a private hospital in Berbice, where tests were conducted.
Based on the results of these tests, doctors eventually diagnosed him with the neurological disorder, Guillain-Barre.
He was later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where additional tests were done and the diagnosis was confirmed.
Asked whether his son was ever tested for the Zika virus, Ramcharitar said no since the young man never contracted the virus.
Guillain-Barre syndrome is an autoimmune disorder that is said to be linked in several countries to the Zika virus.
It results in attacks on the peripheral nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, causing temporary paralysis that can in some cases require patients to rely on respirators for breathing.
During the acute phase, the disorder can be life-threatening, with about a quarter developing weakness of the breathing muscles, while some are affected by changes in the function of the autonomic nervous system, which can lead to dangerous abnormalities in heart rate and blood pressure. Colombia and Venezuela have seen an increase in such cases.
