Entire letter to PAHO Director: September 12, 2014 Open Letter to PAHO Director Dr. Carissa Etienne Dear Ms. Etienne: There is a serious health crisis unfolding in Guyana that has yet to be sufficiently addressed by the authorities responsible for maintaining and assuring the public safety and welfare. We urge you to leverage your good office to impress upon your hosts the absolute, necessary steps that should be taken to address the debilitating chikungunya viral threat that plagues a growing proportion of the nations population. Unofficial reports indicate the virus has reached grave proportions in Guyana yet the health ministry is downplaying the health crisis and doing little to address it. Unconfirmed yet credible reports on the ground significantly surpass the documented 81 confirmed cases, as revealed by the PAHO Country Representative Dr. William Adu-Krow. Entire families are experiencing symptoms that are consistent with this virus. Our young students are missing essential classroom time and studies in order to recover. Our private sector is losing its critical momentum for productivity as many employees must stay home to recover from the painful, dreadful effects and complications associated with chikungunya. Our newspapers carry daily accounts of people who have been afflicted by the virus, yet nothing substantive is being done to mitigate these effects. We repeat our call for the health authorities to investigate immediately this concern and to develop urgently a reporting system for health care institutions and the national health ministry to track confirmed cases of the virus. Also, health officials should be given the resources to conduct surveillance studies for tracing chikungunya’s spreading pattern to determine how best to deploy targeted health and preventive interventions. We also take this opportunity to call on your local office to assist with technical support and guidance for managing effectively the current situation. Faithfully, Clinton Urling Executive Chairman Blue CAPS
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 18:16:04 +0000
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