Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony is advising people to take the required precautions to protect themselves after Guyana, like many other South American nations, saw a significant spike in the number of dengue virus cases last week.
According to Dr. Anthony, 317 positive cases have been reported in Guyana in the previous week.
According to local records, Guyana deals with an average of 80 instances per week. Most of those cases have been reported in Regions 2, 3, 4, and 5.
But Dr. Anthony pointed out that increases in the number of persons affected by dengue have been recorded all across South America.
The World Health Organization last week warned that cases of dengue fever could reach record high this year, partly due to global warming which is providing more conducive conditions for dengue-spreading mosquitoes, the aedes species.
Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony
The WHO says reported cases of the disease, which causes fever and muscle pain, represent just a fraction of the total number of global infections since most cases are asymptomatic. It is fatal in less than 1% of people.
Because of these concerns, the Health Minister advised persons to avoid stagnant water and destroy breeding places for mosquitos.
He also assured citizens that the local authorities have the capacity to deal with any hospitalized patients.
Already, he said daily surveillance has been increased, 15,000 test kits were delivered across all the regions, and new guidelines on treatment and presentation have been updated.
Dr. Anthony said that if additional tests are required, samples can be sent to the National Public Health Reference Laboratory and the Vice Chancellor.
The Health Minister also said fogging exercises are ongoing.
