The Ministry of Public Health says the country is ready to handle any emergence of the H1N1 virus, also known as Swine Flu, after a reported outbreak in neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago and the three deaths so far.
The ministry released a statement yesterday afternoon stating that the re-emergence of the virus in the Caribbean is a cause for great concern among public health officials throughout the region. However, it explained that Guyana has already been on a heightened alert since the discovery of the virus in south Trinidad and Tobago and the ministry, through its disease control programme, has already placed a number of measures in place to competently manage any possibility of the virus reaching these shores.
The statement quoted Minister within the Ministry of Public Health Dr. Karen Cummings as saying, “A technical multidisciplinary response which includes coordinators, and managers of emergency responses has been identified to ensure that appropriate information is available to be disseminated to those who need to know in a timely manner.”
