The Ministry of Health is relying on an autopsy to confirm whether the recent death of a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) was as a result of leptospirosis.Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy, at a press conference yesterday, said that the patient who succumbed on Saturday was one of two admitted recently at the public hospital as suspected cases of leptospirosis.Four suspected cases have been monitored at the hospital since the commencement of the current flood situation, bringing the total number of cases the Ministry has monitored for the year to 70. Six Leptospirosis-suspected deaths,Wholesale Jerseys China, including the recent death, have been recorded for this year, the Minister said.“We have not confirmed these. The post mortem examinations for these cases have not always confirmed that,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, but the persons had entered the hospital as suspected cases. Right now we are treating suspected cases. They have not been tested positive…and none of them are from flooded areas.”The individuals being monitored at the hospital hail from the areas on the East Bank,Cheap Jerseys Wholesale, West Demerara, Georgetown and Industry, East Coast Demerara.The Minister deduced that their contaminations could have resulted from the sporadic instances of leptospirosis or from occupational exposure.According to Minister Ramsammy the families of individuals suspected to have contracted the disease have been placed on prophylactic treatment, adding though that a national programme has not yet commenced.“We (health workers) will have a meeting this afternoon (yesterday) and we will meet twice daily to determine what additional action we should take…There are other conditions that we are looking for, such as the dysentery type of illnesses such as diarrhoea and vomiting, which have not emerged as a serious public health challenge.” rior to yesterday’s press conference,cheap nfl jerseys outlet, the Minister revealed that he had attended a meeting along with his technical officers and officials from private medical institutions to examine the situation.Minister Ramsammy said that the main aim of that forum was to determine whether there has been an increase in the incidence of leptospirosis cases.“We are trying to see whether we are moving away from the sporadic instances of lepto to a case of a flood-related incident.”According to the Minister,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, the Ministry has been increasing the number of medical teams responding to the flood situation in Regions Four and Five,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, adding that there are also additional teams attending to situations in Region Three and Two.He disclosed that up to yesterday morning more than eight teams were out in the various flood-affected communities even as other Ministry of Health staffers were assessing whether there was a need for more medical teams.“Thus far all of our medical out-reach programmes as part of a flood response have been the public health care providers. We will, if this situation continues, need to call in our volunteers from the private sector and Non-Governmental Organisations,” the Minister assertedIn the mean time, he noted that persons are being urged to visit their health centres and regular doctors to ensure that they are in a healthy condition.“This is not the time for people to stay home with things like a fever… They should go to see a health provider at the health centre or a health provider with the out-reach team or at a private institution…”According to the Minister people should try not to stay home in hope that their symptoms will go away.Since the current rainy season commenced, more than 51 per cent of patients in flooded areas have been treated for Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI), about 33 per cent were treated for skin conditions, while about five per cent have been treated for vomiting and diarrhoea, Minister Ramsammy revealed. |
