— Health Minister says ministry stands ready to address medical issues linked to flood

AS the government continues efforts to bring relief to those affected by the countrywide flooding, the Ministry of Health stands ready to deal with a plethora of medical issues that are likely to arise from the flooded communities. This assurance was given by Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, on Sunday.
He told the Guyana Chronicle, in an invited comment, that the government is currently on the lookout for any changes in disease patterns. “Once you have flood waters, the risk of certain kinds of illnesses increases,” Dr. Anthony explained. He said that lessons have been learned from Guyana’s infamous 2005 floods, and that “Based on that, we have a good sense of what to look for.”
The minister said that the Health Ministry remains fully prepared to address an expected increase of certain diarrheal diseases that are common when persons are exposed to flood waters.
President, Dr. Irfaan Ali has recently emphasised that the government’s priority at this time, remains the safety of all citizens. To this end, the Health Ministry has been actively rolling out a series of initiatives which seek to prevent such diseases.
Dr. Anthony said that the government’s ongoing efforts to distribute necessities such as food supplies and clean water, help to minimise the possibility of an outbreak of diarrheal diseases which “can come from when people consume contaminated water”.

Further, the Health Ministry, according to Minister Anthony, projects an increase in certain skin infections that can arise from persons walking through flooded waters. “In Region One, for example, one of the challenges there is the latrines that are overflowing,” Dr. Anthony posited.
He said that to specifically address this situation, the flood relief packages contain certain vital medical supplies including antifungal ointments and oral rehydration solutions. “We are looking out for rashes and fungal infections in cases when people walk in the flood water,” Dr. Anthony maintained.
Taking into account the outbreak of leptospirosis in 2005, Dr. Anthony assured that the ministry is fully prepared on that front as well. However, he said that such an outbreak is not expected this time around. “Leptospirosis comes when people remain in the flooded environments; rodents would then be in closer proximity and all of that, but at this stage, people are not trapped in their homes with flooded water,” Minister Anthony assured.

Over the past few days, the government has transformed a number of public buildings such as schools, into much-needed shelters for those severely affected by the flood waters. In some communities in Region 10 where the water levels are very high, rescue teams have aided in evacuations and persons have been relocated.
These relocations, however, raises concerns in relation to a possible increase in the spread of the novel coronavirus. Dr. Anthony had previously indicated that such a probability has not slipped under the ministry’s radar, and that surveillance and other COVID-19 programmes have been heightened in affected areas.
Minister Anthony had indicated too that even though communities in Region Nine remain flooded, the COVID-19 vaccination efforts remain in full swing, and persons have been responding positively. The minister said that the health authorities in all the of the 10 Administrative Regions have been effectively monitoring their jurisdiction for any changes in disease patterns, and have been playing a key role in addressing issues relating to COVID-19.
Further, persons affected by the floods are asked to contact the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) for further assistance; the emergency numbers are 226-1027 or 600-7500 (WhatsApp).