Kako boy dies mysteriously

–brother critical at GPHC; cyanide poisoning suspected

A NINE-YEAR-OLD boy of Kako Village,Upper Mazaruni,Region seven,is dead, while his

brother lies brain-dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) following what is suspected to be a case of cyanide poisoning.
Unconfirmed initial reports by doctors suggest that the symptoms experienced by the duo are quite similar to those of cyanide poisoning. According to reports, the children complained of severe headaches, fever, and coughing.
Tests done by medical practitioners have ruled out meningitis, an infection of the meninges, the membrane covering the brain.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday from Kamarang, an Indigenous village, which stands at the confluence of the Kamarang and Mazaruni Rivers, in Region Seven, Minister of Public Health Dr George Norton said there is no outbreak of meningitis in Regions Seven or Eight.
The minister’s statement follows an article published on Sunday, December 4, 2016 in Stabroek News titled, “Team heads to Kato after meningitis death”.
According to Dr Norton, the nine-year-old child died on November 13 and his brother who is a patient of the GPHC was hospitalised shortly after, complaining of severe headaches, fever and coughing.

The Minister of Public Health disclosed that the nine-year-old had died from cerebral edema(swelling of the brain).Samples have been sent to the caribbean Public Health Agency for testing.Those conditions have since been ruled out from his brother, a patient of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and who is brain-dead.
The 11-year-old child was transferred from the Kako health post to Kamarang and on November 23 was transferred to the GPHC. “He was doing fairly well and then he got worse,” the Minister of Health said.

NO CLUE
But even as a team of medical professionals along with representatives of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) are in the area, the authorities are still unclear as to what may have caused the death of the child and the severe illness of the other. “We have no clue,” said Dr Norton.
“We are here to investigate… we have not concluded why… the pathologist gave a series of reasons why the first brother died,” said the Minister of Public Health, who noted that currently there are approximately five children in the said area who are suffering from a cough and cold, accompanied by fever. However, those children have no signs of neurological infections.

“The doctors have it under control,” he assured, while disclosing that the team of professionals which comprises regional health officials, two paediatricians, an environmental health officer, a surveillance officer, a representative of the GGMC and several doctors are in several communities assessing the situation.
Communities such as Isseneru, Imbaimadai, Arrau, Jawalla and Waramadong, all located in Region Seven are also being monitored by the healthcare professionals.
“That is not to say there is an outbreak in meningitis. There is no outbreak of meningitis,” emphasised Dr Norton.

The Guyana Chronicle understands that the vaccination records of the two children are unavailable as they had lived for some time in neighbouring Venezuela with their father. “They not too long returned so their vaccine record is not available,” this publication was informed.

UNCLEAR
According to sources, the youngsters went hunting earlier in November and after they returned, they complained of being unwell. It is unclear whether they had drunk water from a nearby stream that may have been contaminated by chemicals used by miners to obtain gold.
“These symptoms are similar to that of cyanide poisoning,” one source close to the investigation told the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) described cyanide as a rapidly acting, potentially deadly chemical that can exist in various forms such as a colourless gas, such as hydrogen cyanide (HCN) or cyanogen chloride (CNCl), or a crystal form such as sodium cyanide (NaCN) or potassium cyanide (KCN).

The CDC noted that persons can be exposed to cyanide by breathing air, drinking water, eating food, or touching soil that contains the chemical. Additionally, cyanide enters water, soil, and air as a result of both natural and industrial activities.
Moreover, those exposed to small amounts of cyanide may have several symptoms,including dizziness, headaches, nausea and vomiting, rapid breathing, rapid heart rate, restlessness, and weakness, while those exposed to large amounts of the chemical may suffer from convulsions, loss of consciousness, low blood pressure, lung injury, respiratory failure leading to death and slow heart rate.

The mining industry has over the years been the main cause of water pollution in hinterland communities as the use of mercury, cyanide and other chemicals to recover and amalgamate gold is prevalent.
The pollution caused by mining results in serious and long-term consequences as chemicals can enter the food chain, thereby resulting in illnesses in the hinterland population.
Indigenous communities such as Kako depend heavily on streams and rivers for water. That water is used for bathing, cooking, cleaning and washing as such, chemicals entering the stream (river) can prove disastrous for residents of those communities who seldom have access to potable water for the purpose of cooking.
Use file photo of Dr George Norton, Minister of Health