The Public Health Ministry continues to send blood samples to Trinidad and Tobago for testing, although the National Public Health Reference Laboratory has been set up for local testing for mosquito-borne diseases and other viruses.
National Public Health Reference Laboratory
A source at the Laboratory has indicated that the institution still does not have the capacity to carry out testing, especially for Zika and other mosquito-related viruses. The samples are being sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), where Guyana would have to wait over a week to know the results.
Meanwhile, there are 37 confirmed cases of Zika in the country. However, the incidence might be higher given the fact that Zika is asymptomatic. According to the source, they are unaware as to when in-house testing will commence.
Two Guyanese medical technologists from the Laboratory were sent to Trinidad to be trained to test for three vector-borne diseases – Zika, Chikungunya and dengue. Shameza Ally Sonaram and Johanna Vaughn had completed training at the Agency and were expected to work along with a number of other specialist staff identified by the Ministry to perform specific duties in helping them complete these tests. However, the source noted that the Ministry has procured equipment to enable testing and has been awaiting the shipment.
So far, there have been 5375 reported cases of Chikungunya, with 264 confirmed cases, and 303 confirmed cases of dengue fever in Guyana. There have also been four cases of babies born with microcephaly, which has been linked to Zika infection in pregnant women.
The climb of these mosquito-borne diseases has influenced the move towards facilitating local testing.
