— residents cite bat dung as probable cause

DAYS after one Chinese man died and seven persons, including a Guyanese, were hospitalised, reports have surfaced that the tunnel they were clearing was blocked for more than 50 years.

According to information reaching this publication, it could have been poisonous bat faeces which caused the individuals to get sick.

Although this was not confirmed, individuals from Mathew’s Ridge said that bat faeces are indeed poisonous and could be deadly if inhaled for long periods.

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has since sent a team to the area and is engaging in discussions to ascertain the cause of the ailment.

In a press statement, Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence refuted claims in some sections of the local media that the H1N1 virus is to blame for the death of a Chinese man working in a mining firm in Barima-Waini (Region One).

Lawrence said Saturday night that Ministry of Public Health specialists were still conducting “a battery of tests” to identify the virus blamed for the manganese miner’s death and the hospitalisation of eight others, including a solitary Guyanese, who is an employee of the Guyana Manganese Inc (GMI) firm.

According to the minister: “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”

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Shamdeo Persaud, said a “respiratory ailment” is to blame for the death and hospitalisation of the GMI workers.

The deceased worker was ailing for days before seeking medical attention at the Matthews Ridge Hospital last Thursday. He died Saturday and his body will be airlifted to the capital Sunday.

The seven other ailing GMI employees were airlifted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for further treatment. Neither the deceased nor those currently hospitalised had travelled overseas recently.

QUARANTINED
The seven patients are to be transferred to the West Demerara Regional Hospital in Essequibo Islands-West Demerara (Region Three) on Sunday, and will be isolated, the Public Health Minister said.

She said a team of officials including a pathologist, a Senior Environmental Health Officer; a mortuary attendant, and an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specialist will be visiting the manganese mining site from Sunday, Lawrence indicated.

She said the team will be complemented by medical specialists, including Regional Health Officer (RHO) Dr Vishal Ramdas, operating in Barima-Waini among others.

Meanwhile, Lawrence Saturday night hailed the collaboration among the MoPH, the GPHC, PAHO/WHO and other partners and will “work with neighbouring territories to exchange information” about the ongoing health crises in the southern hemisphere.

“We are asking Region One residents to continue performing their usual hygiene habits such as washing their hands after visiting the washroom; covering their mouths when coughing,” Lawrence said.

“If you are not feeling well, go to a health facility,” the minister counselled.