A battery of tests to identify the cause of the flu-like symptoms which have left seven manganese miners hospitalised and one dead are being done while a National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) has been activated to coordinate the response.
The men were scheduled to be transferred to the West Demerara Regional Hospital in Region Three yesterday to be placed in isolated care. Meanwhile, Director-General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig activated a NEOC to bring all the key stakeholders together to ensure there is a Common Operating Picture, the Department of Public Information (DPI) announced yesterday.
On Saturday morning, seven Chinese nationals who worked at the Guyana Manganese Inc (GMI), a subsidiary of the Bosai Group, were medevacked from Matthews Ridge in Region One to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) following the death of a co-worker who displayed similar symptoms. The eight men were earlier admitted to the Pakera District Hospital, Region One with fever, headaches, joint pain, mild shortness of breath, unstable vital signs and moderate to severe respiratory syndrome.
In a statement issued late Saturday night, Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence said that public health specialists are currently conducting a battery of tests to identify the ailment. She dismissed reports that the flu-like symptoms are those of the H1N1 virus.
“…There is no determination (as yet) of what the ailment is but all the patients displayed similar symptoms including pain, fever, headache and respiratory distress,” Lawrence was quoted as saying.
Following an evaluation of the patients, the statement said, they were to be transferred to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, and will be isolated.
Lawrence noted that a team comprising a pathologist, a Senior Environmental Health Officer, a mortuary attendant, as well as an Environmental Protection Agency specialist, was scheduled to visit the manganese mining site yesterday.
She added that the team would’ve been complemented by medical specialists including Regional Health Officer Dr Vishal Ramdas, operating in Region One, among others.
The statement reported that Chief Medical Officer Dr Shamdeo Persaud said a “respiratory ailment” is to blame for the death and hospitalisation of the GMI workers. Neither the deceased nor those currently hospitalised had travelled overseas recently, the statement said.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the NEOC was held at the CDC’s headquarters, Thomas Lands yesterday which aimed to identify the key response stakeholders who will track, monitor and document the situation.
The Ministry of Public Health was identified as the lead agency for the response. It will be supported by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs, the Ministry of Communities, the CDC, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, the Maritime Administration and the Guyana Police Force, the DPI reported.
“At the end of the meeting, a plan of action was developed and agencies were designated specific responsibilities which are to be executed within an identified timeframe,” it said.
DPI added that contrary to the reports in the local media, there has been no determination of what the ailment is but all the patients have displayed similar symptoms. Tests are currently being conducted by the Ministry of Public Health to identify the ailment, it observed.
Stabroek News had reported that sources in the region said that four of the men were admitted to the Pakera District Hospital on Thursday while another three were admitted on Friday. It is unclear when the man who died was admitted at the Pakera hospital.
Following the death of one of the miners, who were reportedly working in a cave when they began displaying symptoms, an emergency medevac was initiated at 7am on Saturday to transport the remaining patients to the GPH. The medevac was accompanied by a response team from the GPH to assist in stabilising the patients.
Director of Regional Health Services, Dr Kay Shako, had told Stabroek News that while the illness has not been identified, she could confirm that the surviving patients are undergoing tests.
“Nothing is confirmed as yet but we know they took ill at the mines and displayed flu-like symptoms. We are still investigating,” she explained.
