Guyana records drop in Malaria
…as Vector Control Unit continues outreach
As the Vector Control Services Department of the Ministry of Health continues with its drive to combat vector borne diseases, a recent visit to Region Seven – Cuyuni/Mazaruni saw more than 3,700 blood smears for malaria being taken.
Of that number of smears taken, close to 100 were tested positive for malaria, a development which suggests that the proactive approach of the Unit is proving to be instrumental in denting the impact of malaria.
This is according to Dr. Reyaud Rahman, the Director of the strategic and proactive Vector Control Unit, who led the recent outreach mission.
A vector control worker taking a smear during the recent outreach.
During an earlier interview he disclosed that the Ministry of Health through the Vector Control Services Department is looking to reclaim the leadership status as it relates to the vector control fight in the Caribbean and South America.
“We want to create a service where we are an authority in the country concerning vector-borne diseases and bring vector control back to the levels that it was in the 1960s and 1970s, basically,” said Dr. Rahman.
This ambitious goal, he noted, is being sought despite the fact that the vector control fight is no small challenge.
Moreover, sustained efforts are being made by the Unit to embrace a proactive mode whereby vector control teams are often dispatched to support regional efforts in this regard.
The recently concluded trip to Region Seven targeted areas such as Imbaimadai, Chineoweng, Wax Creek, Jawalla, Phillipai, Fort Knox, Quebanang, Kambaru, Kako, Emokeng, Ominaik, Amokokapai, Kamarang, Upper Mazaruni Dredge camps, Pepper Camp, Meyume Bay, Courba, Hill Top, Paruima and Waramadong.
The smears taken in the named localities detected instances of both Plasmodium Falciparum (PF) and Plasmodium Vivax (PV). Plasmodium Falciparum is a protozoan parasite, one of the species of Plasmodium that cause malaria in humans. It is transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito.
Plasmodium Vivax, on the other hand, is a protozoal parasite and a human pathogen. It is said to be the most frequent and widely distributed cause of recurring malaria and is one of the five species of malaria parasites that commonly infect humans.
The strategic moves that were engaged by the outreach mission included the mass blood surveys and the treatment of the detected cases, resupply of drugs and the issuance of new microscopes to at least four locations that were so in need.
In order to aid a sustained intervention in the Region, Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) were also distributed to homes where there were pregnant women as well as children under five years old. Locations that were especially identified for impregnated bed nets were Jawalla, Phillipai, Quebanang, and Kamarang.
The distribution of impregnated bed nets has been one of the primary tactics employed by the Health Ministry in order to address the challenge of malaria. In this regard moves were made to procure several thousands of the high-priced nets which have been distributed in tranches to the areas that are malaria-prone since the commencement of the year.
However, officials within the Vector Control Unit had anticipated that there would have been a likely spike in the incidence of malaria even as efforts are made to intensify the vector control operation in the various regions.
The increased tackling of vector borne diseases are strategically directed to the mining regions which had seen a surge in gold mining activities. As such the Health Ministry had seen the need to put measures in place to stave off a potential upsurge of malaria, a task which is being fully undertaken by Dr. Rahman-headed Vector Control Unit.
;)
