Guyana recorded an increase in the number of persons affected by dengue and Advisor to the Minister of Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, said rapid tests are available across the country.
These tests will help health workers to quickly identify if a person has been affected by the dengue virus. If infected, an individual can then receive treatment much faster.
Dr. Ramsammy at an event on Monday also said Guyana will soon begin special testing to identify what strains of dengue people in Guyana are affected by.
“I am encouraged by the fact that by Friday of this week, once we don’t have the same flight problems… we will be able to begin serial typing the dengue cases in Guyana,” Dr. Ramsammy said.
With tests more widely available and the ability to identify these strains, Dr. Ramsammy said the local authorities can better respond to the increase in cases.
On Sunday, Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony told the News Room that 317 positive dengue cases were recorded across Guyana last week.
Comparatively, based on local records, Guyana grapples with an average of about 80 cases weekly. A majority of those cases are recorded in Regions Two, Three, Four and Five.
Dr. Ramsammy, however, noted that dengue has been increasing in the Americas.
In fact, he posited that the Americas will have the highest ever number of dengue cases this year.
“… But none of us in this room or any Ministry of Health in the region could say for certain that we know the exact extent of the dengue problem that we are facing today,” he noted however.
The World Health Organization last week warned that cases of dengue fever could reach record highs this year, partly due to global warming which is providing more conducive conditions for dengue-spreading mosquitoes, the aedes species.
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.
