The Blue CAPS group has once again sounded a warning over the failure of the health authorities to address the scope of the threat posed by the chikungunya virus and its Executive Director Clinton Urling yesterday issued an appeal to visiting PAHO Director Dr. Carissa Etienne to aid the management of the situation.
“We also take this opportunity to call on your local office to assist with technical support and guidance for managing effectively the current situation,” Urling wrote, in an open letter to Dr Etienne yesterday.
In the letter, which was released to the press, Urling said there is a serious health crisis unfolding in Guyana that has yet to be sufficiently addressed by the responsible authorities.
“We urge you to leverage your good office to impress upon your hosts the absolute, necessary steps that should be taken to address the debilitating chikungunya viral threat that plagues a growing proportion of the nation’s population,” he said.
Unofficial reports, according to Urling, indicate the virus has reached “grave proportions” in Guyana. However, he accused the Health Ministry of “downplaying the health crisis” and “doing little” to address it.
According to Urling, unconfirmed but credible reports on the ground significantly surpass the documented 81 cases confirmed by PAHO Country Representative Dr. William Adu-Krow.
“Entire families are experiencing symptoms that are consistent with this virus. Our young students are missing essential classroom time and studies in order to recover. Our private sector is losing its critical momentum for productivity as many employees must stay home to recover from the painful, dreadful effects and complications associated with chikungunya,” he said, while also noting that newspapers carry daily accounts of people who have been afflicted by the virus, yet nothing substantive is being done to mitigate these effects.
“We repeat our call for the health authorities to investigate immediately this concern and to develop urgently a reporting system for health care institutions and the national health ministry to track confirmed cases of the virus. Also, health officials should be given the resources to conduct surveillance studies for tracing chikungunya’s spreading pattern to determine how best to deploy targeted health and preventive interventions,” he added.
