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