A month has passed and still the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) has reportedly not received the results of samples sent for testing, suspected to be the Zika virus in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).
Head of the region’s Regional Democratic Council (RDC) Health Committee, Dr Gregory Harris, last month disclosed that there were a few suspected cases of the dreaded virus in Linden. Dr Harris, who is attached to the LHC, revealed that a few patients who exhibited possible signs of the virus were attended to by health professionals at the medical institution, noting that the samples were sent for testing.
He said two of those cases might test positive, since those patients had shown a full range of symptoms, including the rash, red eyes (conjunctivitis) and muscle and joint pain. Dr Harris had also promised to make the information of the results available to the public once it becomes available. When contacted on Sunday, however, he indicated that he is still awaiting the results.The Health Committee Chairman’s suspicions came at a time when there were mounted calls for fogging to commence in the region, in an effort to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. As promised by Regional Health Officer Pansy Armstrong, fogging has commenced in sections of Linden. Prior to the fogging exercises, she had also indicated that chemicals, such as larvacide were distributed across the region, to assist residents in dealing with the infestation of mosquito.
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