Following an advisory by the Ministry of Public Health (MPH) urging members of the public to get vaccinated against measles, checks by Stabroek News at several city health centres found that they have the vaccine in stock.
Uptake was limited, according to officials at the health centre. This is not surprising though as Guyana’s vaccination rate is of global standard and the country has been certified measles free with the last case of measles recorded in 1991, according to the Pan-American Health Organization.
However, with measles outbreaks in Venezuela and Brazil and with a number of Venezuelans fleeing the economic crisis in their homeland settling in Guyana, the MPH has advised everyone living in Guyana to be vaccinated against measles. Chief Medical Officer Dr Shamdeo Persaud had told Stabroek News that the vaccine could be obtained from any public health centre or hospital.
