In North West…

TOSHAO Joseph De Souza, quoted as the informant for the Stabroek News Wednesday report on deaths from a mystery ailment in North West District, yesterday vehemently refuted the claim that he confirmed two.

In an invited comment, he told the Guyana Chronicle that, while he did speak to the other newspaper, he did not verify the two deaths.

“I was misquoted because I made clear that I was aware of four deaths not six, the latter two occurring in our community,” he insisted.

The Stabroek July 7 headline ‘Mystery illness still affecting Region One residents’ reported that a mysterious sickness claimed the lives of four in the area.

It followed up with another story, yesterday, stating that there were two more victims in Moruka, 10 months old Troydon Thornhill of Kamwatta and pensioner Albert De La Cruz of Santa Rosa.

Another top functionary, Region One (Barima/Waini) Chairman, Mr. Fermin Singh also slammed the Wednesday story as “misleading.”

He said he is unaware of two additional deaths in the Region.

“The report is certainly misleading and, when people’s health is the issue, this should not happen, as it will cause a panic,” Singh lamented.

NOT CAUSED
The Regional Chairman maintained that the deaths were not caused by a mysterious illness.

“Something mysterious is something that is unknown or unfamiliar,” he noted.

However, Singh assured that steps are being taken to deal with what is suspected to be Acute Diarrhoeal Diseases (ADD), which can be triggered by a number of different agents.

He said the common infective causatives include bacteria and the less common organisms that cause cholera and bacillary dysentery.

Whilst there was speculation that the victims died from cholera, Singh discounted the acute and often fatal intestinal disease.

ADD patients suffer from a sudden onset of frequent looseness of bowels or watery stool, usually accompanied by vomiting and fever.

It is spread by contaminated hands or ingestion of food or drinks with contaminants and, occasionally, by aerosol.

The recommended preventatives include:

• observing good personal hygiene, like washing hands frequently, especially before eating or preparing food and after defecation and

• observing good food hygiene, through avoiding d consumption of raw food, specially for high risk persons like elderly, children and pregnant women.

In addition, Singh said health teams are in the affected communities collecting samples, to help confirm the agent responsible for the sickness.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Shamdeo Persaud added that a team from the Ministry of Health, which had been there since Monday, joined in the exercise last Friday.

HEALTH ISSUES
He, too, proffered the view that the health issues in the North West community may be due to ADD.

Persaud said the specimens will be sent to the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) for testing to verify what is causing the sickness.

He said the health personnel took infusions and rehydration solutions to Region One to assist others who have been afflicted.

Persaud observed that a contributing factor to the demise of the four persons might have been their delay in getting medical attention.

According to him, ADD afflicts all age groups, moreso children. But, when it does adults, they treat it very lightly.

Assuring that the administration of necessary treatment has started, in the hope of avoiding more deaths, he exhorted persons to visit health care providers if they are unwell.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Chronicle clarified that the more recent events in Region One are not linked to the mystery illness which this newspaper has been covering.

So far, there have been no more reports of such occurrences, since the last victim, teenager Sabrina Rahaman took sick last week, suffering from the same affliction that resurfaced October last year and February this year, after its first appearance three years ago.

Since its resurgence this year, 73 students of Santa Rosa Secondary School, all girls between 13 and 18 years, fell to the, up to now, undiagnosed complaint.

Analyses done by health personnel were unsuccessful in ascertaining the origin of the ailment, which showed no obvious genetic or other links nor resulted in long term physical consequences and it remains a source of controversy.