THERE are no expectations of Guyana having a measles outbreak anytime soon; the alert issued to the public was just to notify them that there is an external threat, particularly in the United States of America (USA). This is according to Minister of Health Dr. Bheri Ramsaran during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Wednesday last.
Minister Ramsaran disclosed that “messages were sent to Guyanese not because we have an alert in Guyana, but because there is an outbreak of this disease in the USA, to be more particular, Florida.”
He noted that the outbreak resurrected at Disney Land and spread across many states rapidly, mostly because the children there were unvaccinated, whereas in Guyana the epidemic is virtually impossible, because “we have an average of 98% coverage for all of the childhood vaccine- preventable diseases,” said the minister.
He emphasised that Guyana has been experiencing an increase in visits to and from North America, not only from the Native Americans but also from Guyanese in the diaspora.
“Guyanese need to know that there are still public health threats on our borders but up-to-date there are no serious public health threats on the horizon, so we can say that we’re sailing safely for now,” said Minister Ramsaran.
Currently, Guyana is on top of measles, however, out of a public health concern and out of an abundance of caution, the Chief Medical Officer(CMO) used his authority to alert the Guyanese public that they need to be cautious.
Apart from being cautious, Dr. Ramsaran stated that parents need to see that their children, especially the young ones, are following their various vaccination schedules.
MALARIA REDUCTION
The Minister of Health noted that we have been doing well in many areas pertaining to Guyana’s health sector, for instance just recently in the area of malaria, there has been a significant reduction in cases as was reported officially by the Vector Control Service.
Thanks to the Government of Guyana, Guyana now boasts of having an efficient health sector, which proves beneficial for the citizens of Guyana, and according to Minister Ramsaran, the sector is always developing day by day.