Three persons residing along the East Bank Demerara are the latest cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in Guyana. This was confirmed by the Ministry of Public Health’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Shamdeo Persaud.
Persaud explained that 75 samples were sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) in Trinidad and Tobago. The results, which came back sometime last week and showed that three of the samples had tested positive for the virus.
He said those three samples were taken from people living along the East Bank Demerara corridor, one of whom is a 20-year-old woman who resides at Timehri. It was further stated that the new cases originated here, since there is no evidence to show that any of the three people had engaged in any recent international travel.
Persaud related that home inspections have since been carried out, during which the presence of several breeding sites were discovered and destroyed.
Additionally, those who would have had had contact with the infected persons have undergone screening and are also being continuously monitored. The Vector Control Unit of the Ministry of Public Health has since carried out additional fogging exercises in the areas where the infected people reside.
The total number of reported cases in Guyana now stands at 5. The first being that of a 27-year-old woman whose addresses were listed as Rose Hall, Corentyne and Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara (EBD), followed by a 16-year-old Eccles, EBD resident. Persaud also informed that subsequent samples from the first patient have since tested negative for the Zika virus and she is said to be fully recovered.
Zika is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito which is also a known vector for the transmission of the dengue and chikungunya viruses. The CMO had previously described Zika as a very “mild infection” that can go unnoticed, as only one in four patients would develop some symptoms.
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 may lead to neuromuscular problems as a sequel in adults.
While it has been claimed that infection in women during the early stages of pregnancy can result in damage to the developing foetus and a neurodevelopmental disorder known as Microcephaly, this has not been proven as studies are still ongoing.
Nevertheless, the Ministry of Public Health continues to urge people, particularly pregnant women, to sleep under mosquito nets. The ministry has since handed over 6,000 treated mosquito nets to health centres to be distributed to expecting mothers. Additionally, the Vector Control unit has embarked on countrywide fogging to help in the fight against the spread of the virus.
