Guyana has almost eliminated filariasis, widely known locally as ‘big foot’, with remaining work to be done in only two of the ten administrative regions, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said, even as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) announced a new package of assistance to fight ...

Medical experts are calling on people to resume wearing masks as a new, more transmissible variant of COVID-19 gains dominance on the island. 

No mask mandate has been issued. 

The Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP) has stressed that whilst caution is necessary, there is no cause for alarm. While the variant has been here for several months, this strain is a more dominant one.

BAMP President Dr Lynda Williams told Barbados TODAY: “It has greater transmission . . . it doesn’t have any greater mortality, but anything that can spread faster will affect the vulnerable people most quickly, so we have to go back to the usual hand-washing and wearing of masks around people who are vulnerable and especially if they are working with them.”

The variant, known as JN1, is a sub-variant of Omicron. Its presence was first confirmed by the Ministry of Health in January, alongside a rise in respiratory illnesses including Influenza A and B and COVID-19.

Dr Williams advised that individuals vaccinated in 2020/2021 and who did not receive any boosters since then, the extent of their protection would have waned.

She said: “We will watch and see what happens; there is no need to panic, we just need to remember it’s still out there and those who are elderly or have uncontrolled comorbidities such as diabetes, they are at risk.”

Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George clarified that the mask mandate has not been reintroduced. But he urged vulnerable people, including the elderly, pregnant women, and those with chronic non-communicable diseases, to take precautionary measures against respiratory illnesses.

According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), JN1’s symptoms are similar to those of other strains, including sore throat, congestion, runny nose, cough, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, fever or chills, loss of sense of taste or smell, and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.

The CDC notes that symptom type and severity usually depend more on an individual’s underlying health and immunity than on the specific variant causing the infection.

Despite COVID-19 no longer being classified as a disease of international public health concern, the Ministry of Health continues to test and monitor for COVID-19 strains, acknowledging that transmission of the virus has not ceased.

As the situation develops, health officials are advising people to exercise caution in crowded spaces and to prioritise protective measures, particularly for those at higher risk. (EJ)

The post Return to mask-wearing, officials urge as new COVID variant spreads appeared first on Barbados Today.

Guyana continues to take numerous steps to convince the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that the now six-year-old ban on catfish exports should be lifted, officials said Wednesday. Chief Fisheries Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture, Denzil Roberts said Guyana’s relevant fisheries regulations and inspection manuals have been updated. US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole ...

Guyana is hesitant to vaccinate people against dengue because of the efficacy of the jab against all of the four sub-types of the mosquito-borne virus, cost and availability of the vaccines, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said Wednesday. With ten people already killed by dengue in 2023 and four this year, he said government would ...

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Eating canned foods that are expired, severely dented, swollen, rusted or leaking can cause serious health conditions and can result in death due to exposure to deadly bacteria and other food-borne illnesses

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At least 2,000 persons can now benefit from a new health centre that has been built in the far-flung Mahaica Creek community of District Number 10, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said. He said the health centre was constructed at a cost of GY$46 million on a plot of land that was donated by Mr ...

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Guyana is prepared to test for the Oropouche virus (OROV) which the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) last weekend sounded an alert about, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony said Monday. He said the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) has the reagents to test for the virus which can be spread by gnats and mosquitoes. “If people ...