| – Health Ministry targets 120,000 persons Following the successful deworming exercise by the Ministry of Health to eliminate Filariasis in Region Five, the ministry will now take the exercise to Region 6, commencing on December 13 and concluding on December 14.The team is expected to treat approximately 120,Authentic MLB Jerseys Online,000 persons with Albendazole and DEC (Diethylcarbamazine).This programme started in Region 5 during the period October 31 – November 2, 2008, and approximately 40,000 persons were treated in some 9,500 homes.According to Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, after Region 6 is completed, the ministry expects to treat persons in all the other regions.Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie RamsammyAs such, Minister Ramsammy is urging churches, NGOs and other stakeholders to collaborate with the ministry so that Filariasis could be eliminated as a public health scourge.“The Ministry of Health is alerting all citizens of Region 6 that volunteers would be visiting their homes on the weekend of December 13th and 14th. All citizens,Wholesale Jerseys, except children under two years old,Cheap NFL Jerseys, pregnant women and lactating women, are expected to take the tablets,” Minister Ramsammy said.Almost 400 volunteers will participate in this exercise.The Ministry of Health is determined that Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) must be eliminated as a public health problem by 2012. In this regard, the ministry has signed on to a global obligation to eliminate LF by 2020, but Minister Ramsammy is confident that Guyana could do so by 2012, thus the ministry has voluntarily shifted the date forward by 8 years.This direct aim on LF results from the success of the DEC-salt fortification program conducted in Guyana between 2003 to the present time, Minister Ramsammy said.It was noted that the program for the elimination of LF, however, is also targeting other forms of worm infestation.Minister Ramsammy explained that,Wholesale NFL Jerseys Online, globally, more than 120 million persons live with LF, with more than 40 million suffering from debilitating conditions, such as lymphoedema (swelling of limbs and breasts), swelling of genitals (hydrocele) and swelling of limbs with thick, rough and fissured skin (elephantiasis).Almost 20,000 Guyanese live with these conditions. During the house-to-house visitation and distribution of anti-worming medication, volunteers will seek to assist persons with associated health issues, such as lymphoedema and hydrocele, by referring them to special clinics at the New Amsterdam, Skeldon and Port Mourant Hospitals for immediate attention.This program is a follow-up to the DEC-salt strategy which has resulted in significant reduction of new LF incidences over the last few years.According to Dr. Ramsammy, the DEC-salt campaign has achieved its intended result in reducing the microfilariasis reservoir pool, and the Ministry of Health has decided that the time has come for a mopping-up exercise to ensure that Guyana reaches the elimination stage for LF by the Ministry of Health’s target date of end of 2012.In 2001,Wholesale Jerseys 2018, a mapping exercise was completed for the distribution of LF. It was found that there was a prevalence of about 9.3%, ranging from one to 37% in various communities. The highest rates were seen in urban and coastal rural areas.“Our routine management data has shown between 24.6 to 61.8 % reduction since the introduction of DEC salt, with an almost 88% reduction in hydrocele diagnosis.“The Ministry of Health is working with our partners, nationally and in the regions, as we bring health to the people. While we expect citizens to seek out health, we also want to bring health to the people. As we observe 30 years of Alma Ata, this is an example of the genuine primary health care in practice, and not primary health care being spoken of in an abstract manner,” Minister Ramsammy said.The collaborating partners for this exercise include other Government ministries, the private sector, faith-based organizations, and other civil society organizations and international partners.The international partners for this program include PAHO/WHO, UNICEF, USAID and the US CDC. Local partners include the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs), the Seventh Day Adventist Church (which has a global de-worming program), along with various faith-based organizations, such as CIOG,Authentic NFL Jerseys Wholesale, the Council of Churches, the Dharmic Sabha, the IRO and the Bahai’s. |
