The Ministry of Public Health is closely monitoring the indigenous community of Baramita, Region One, after several cases of vomiting and diarrhoea were detected in the area, GINA said today.
The gastroenteritis like symptoms have landed 60 persons at the Baramita Health centre since these were detected late last month. One person has since died from the illness.
Minister of Public Health, Dr George Norton told GINA of this development last evening.
“Some years ago, right in Parliament here, (now President) Mr. (David) Granger moved a motion for an investigation on the Commission of Inquiry into deaths in the North West district particularly the Port Kaituma area, of children dying of gastroenteritis. For some reason or the other there been a closing off of the media, in terms of providing the public with information about that situation. We want to do it different. We want to be the first to let the media know that we are on top of the situation that has existed, not in Port Kaituma now, but in the village of Baramita,” Norton said.
Baramita, which has a population of about 3000 and 20 satellite communities, has one Health Centre, which is manned by a Community Health worker, a medic and a doctor, GINA said.
According to Norton, the situation is under control; however, he said that the issue is of great concern to the Ministry, and a team of officials will be deployed to the area, to educate the residents about the illness and measures they can take to avoid it.
Norton told GINA that there are some challenges in terms of getting into some of the satellite communities. These areas are only accessible by All Terrain vehicles.
“We do have it under control, we have enough medication there…The other situation is we find that the population is not cooperating. They don’t want to use the bleach in the water or the tablets that we’re using in the water because they said, it tastes bad. Secondly, they’re not carrying through with the medications we’re giving them to use and they are not all attending the clinics, even though the clinics are there, available for them. So we’re running into some difficulties there. But the situation has improved from what it was from the beginning,” Norton explained.
GINA said that in 2013, there was an outbreak in the North West District area, where a total of 529 residents from Port Kaituma and surrounding communities were infected, most of whom were children. There were three reported deaths. Prior to that, there was an outbreak in 2009 and six residents died.
