Chicken pox outbreak at Lusignan Prison; APNU+AFC, govt at odds over response

Last Updated on Wednesday, 27 March 2024, 0:48 by Denis Chabrol

The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday confirmed that an outbreak of chicken pox at the Lusignan Prison has afflicted 53 prisoners at that East Coast Demerara penal institution, but denied claims by the opposition coalition that nothing was being done to prevent the disease from spreading.

The Health Ministry, in confirming that there were 25 active cases of chickenpox and 28 recovering cases at that prison, said the viral disease appeared to be under control. “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,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Efforts were underway to determine who was responsible for first transmitting the viral disease to prison, staff were also being evaluated and offered vaccination.

Also, the Health Ministry said it has put other prisons across Guyana on alert for signs of the disease and has widened its surveillance. “Given the outbreak of chickenpox at the Lusignan Prisons, the MOH medical teams are conducting surveillance and screening in other prisons. Advisories have been sent to officers-in-charge of other prisons to be alert to possible outbreaks,” the ministry added.

Contrary to a statement issued by the PNC/APNU, the Ministry of Health said it was working with the Guyana Prisons Service to address the outbreak.

“The MOH rejects totally the assertion by the PNC/APNU that the MOH and the medical team that work with Prisons Health have not taken adequate actions to combat the chickenpox outbreak in the Lusignan Prison,” the Health Ministry added.

The ministry said that from the earliest complaints by prisoners about unusual itching, 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,” the ministry added.

According to the Health Ministry, those who were diagnosed with chickenpox were treated with medicines-Acylovir and Calamine Lotion- and prisoners and staff were vaccinated with the Varicella-Zoster Virus vaccine. Authorities said various measures of sanitization, sterilization and other preventive measures were also implemented.

The Health Ministry sought to assure the prisoners, staff members and their family members that all precautions and all necessary actions are being taken to ensure no further spread of chickenpox occurs at the Lusignan prisons.

The APNU+AFC figures about the umber of active and recovering cases were confirmed by the Health Ministry. The coalition said it was “greatly concerned about the government response and management of this latest health emergency” and said there should have been better screening policies.  “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,” the coalition said.

However, the Ministry of Health accused the opposition of being reckless in creating panic by giving the impression that the outbreak of chickenpox is out of control at the Lusignan Prisons. “Furthermore, it is insulting to the prison officers and the medical team that the PNC/APNU would denigrate the strenuous efforts by the relevant staff to stem the spread of an infectious disease in the prisons. It is indicative that this political party has nothing of substance to criticize the Prisons Service, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Health,” the Ministry of Health said.

Authorities said outbreaks of chickenpox in prisons settings are not rare and have been commonplace in detention centers across the world. 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.