Guyana
What’s the situation?
While dengue has been common in Guyana for some time, the first Chikungunya case was identified in Canje, Berbice in May 2014. With large open land, overgrown trenches, and trash heaps throughout the country, breeding spaces for mosquitoes are high. The tendency for the dengue and chikungunya carrying mosquitoes to like urban spaces, makes the problem much more significant in these areas. People have slept with mosquito nets in Guyana for a very long time, however, the dengue and chikungunya mosquitoes like to bite during the day.
Tests to confirm the presence of the chikungunya virus are sent to Trinidad and Tobago. According to the Minister of Health in this September 2014 article, the “Ministry, through its Vector Control Services Unit, has been training regional personnel to aid the fogging process. Currently all 10 administrative regions of the country are in possession of, at least, one fogging machine, the Chief Medical Officer intimated.
Another boost to the efforts to combat the virus has been realised through the ongoing support the Health Ministry has been gaining from the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development which was recently able to procure a number of fogging machines.
In the quest to further bolster its capacity to combat the virus, Dr Persaud disclosed that the Health Ministry has been collaborating with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO). “There are still some gaps (because) we don’t have all the people that we need…especially when it comes to surveillance, epidemiology, laboratory areas; (we need) additional training for the lab staff,” said Dr Persaud. He went on to note too that “we had anticipated that we would have started to do Chikungunya testing; we have the equipment and so on but we still need to do some additional training.”
Where to get medical attention?
Name of Facility: Beterverwagting Health Centre
Address: Region 4 E.C.D
Head Of Centre: Dr.Hasline Smith-Lowe
Telephone Number: 220-6531
Name of Facility: Betterhope Health Centre
Address: Region 4 E.C.D
Name of Facility: David rose Health Centre
Address: Region 4 EBD
Head Of Centre: Dr. Dianele Drepaul
Telephone Number: 223-6365
Name of Facility: Dorothy Bailey Health Centre
Address: Region 4 Municipality
Head Of Centre: Operated by City Council
Telephone Number: 226-6460
Name of Facility: East La Penitence Health Centre
Address: Region 4 Georgetown
Head Of Centre: Dr. Susan Stuart
Telephone Number: 227-6055/6035/6036
Name of Facility: Enmore Poly Clinic
Address: Region 4 E.C.D
Head Of Centre: Dr. Nicole Nedd-Jerrick
Telephone Number: 270-6899
Name of Facility: North East La Penitence Health Centre
Address: Region 4 Georgetown
Head Of Centre: Carlene Howard Mohabir (medex)
Telephone Number: 226-4395
Name of Facility: Plaisance Health Centre
Address: Region 4 E.C.D
Head Of Centre: Dr.Hasline Smith-Lowe
Telephone Number: 222-2983
Where to get information:
Local Resources
http://www.evergreenstudy.org/mosquitoesrepoil.html
Local messaging:
