Ministry says chicken pox outbreak at Lusignan prison `appears to be under control’
The Ministry of Health (MoH) last night said that a chicken pox outbreak at the Lusignan Prison “appears to be under control”.
It rejected an assertion by the opposition APNU+AFC that the MoH and the medical team that work with Prisons Health have not taken adequate actions to combat the chickenpox outbreak in the Prison.
The MoH assured the prisoners, staff members and their family members that all precautions are being taken to ensure no further spread of chickenpox occurs at the Lusignan prison.
The chickenpox outbreak that has affected 53 prisoners was likely started by a prisoner, staff member or a visitor, the ministry said. The medical and surveillance teams are presently conducting contact-tracing to identify the source of the infection, it added.
From the earliest complaints by prisoners about unusual itching, it said that screening was conducted by the medical team assigned to the Lusignan Prisons. Once the first cases were diagnosed with chickenpox, care was taken to separate the affected prisoners from the prisoners with no symptoms.
Those who were diagnosed with chickenpox were treated with medicines (Acylovir and Calamine Lotion) and prisoners and staff were vaccinated by the Varicella-Zoster Virus vaccine. Various measures of sanitization, sterilization and other preventive measures were also undertaken.
“The medical team will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that the outbreak is halted. At the moment the outbreak appears to be under control. Measures have been taken also to evaluate staff who might have been exposed. Staff members were also offered vaccination”, the ministry said.
As confirmed in a statement by the Prison Service, it said that 25 active cases of chickenpox and 28 recovering cases are being treated at the Lusignan Prison.
Given the outbreak at the Lusignan Prison, the MoH medical teams are conducting surveillance and screening in other prisons. Advisories have also been sent to officers-in-charge of other prisons to be alert to possible outbreaks.
Outbreaks of chickenpox in prisons settings are not rare, the ministry said. It added that the Varicella-Zoster virus is one of the most contagious infections among unvaccinated and non-immune populations. Most adults are immunized through childhood exposure to Varicella-Zoster but for those adults who have not been immunized either through vaccination or through previous infections or exposure, outbreaks in a detention or prison setting is commonplace.
The ministry said it unfortunate that a major political party “can be reckless in creating panic by giving the impression that the outbreak of chickenpox is out of control at the Lusignan Prisons”.
Yesterday, Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot, said that the outbreak was under control.
According to a Guyana Prison Service (GPS) press release, Officer-in-Charge, Senior Superintendent of Prisons Deoraj Gyandat and the medical staff, are actively conducting contact tracing to determine the source of the outbreak.
Stressed
Elliot stressed the overarching objective of safeguarding the health and wellbeing of both inmates and prison staff. He urged against panic, highlighting the proactive steps taken to effectively address the situation.
The APNU+ AFC opposition, in a press release, had expressed concern about the government’s response and the management of this latest health emergency.
The APNU+AFC Opposition opined in the press release that the outbreak signals the lack of competence of the PPP/C government and its disinterest in the wellbeing of Guyanese people from all walks of life.
The opposition charged that there should have been better screening policies and tools to indicate evidence of varicella immunity especially for incoming
inmates. Additionally, special attention should also have been paid to the staff members and the inmates who are susceptible and are in close quarters where transmission and spread of the disease could easily occur. Mention was also made of
the sums allotted to the prisons to improve operations and efficiency.
“Let us recall that a sum of $2.8 billion was approved by the National Assembly
in January 2024 for infrastructural works at the Lusignan and Mazaruni Prisons; and a further $130 million approved to improve the operations and efficiency at the prisons. The government must urgently move to ensure these allocations are properly expended to prevent outbreaks of Chicken pox and other such medical and health emergencies. It must report to the nation on the steps it has taken thus far and intends to take”, the opposition said.
It added that it is imperative that there be better coordination between the Ministry of Public Health and the Minister of Home Affairs to combat the incidence and reduce the impact of this infectious and any other re-emerging disease.
“Full-fledged efforts must be made to isolate the patients and susceptible persons, to disinfect contaminated surfaces, quarantine infected persons, protect workers, investigate the source of infection, and avoid overcrowding. These measures are important and if not adhered to can possibly have serious consequences for the wider population,” the release added.