A Brief Update to Yesterday's Guyana Story (UPDATED)

Updated 1900 hrs EST

Local media is reporting (links below) that 6 more mine workers have been airlifted from Matthew's Ridge - presumably with similar symptoms - to a Georgetown hospital and that two of the 7 original patients have tested positive for Leptospirosis.  

More manganese workers medevaced from Matthew’s Ridge

BREAKING: Two diagnosed with Leptospirosis from Matthew’s Ridge mines

Leptospirosis is most commonly associated with exposure to rodent urine, but has also been detected in bats (see 2015 PLoS Pathogens Leptospira and Bats: Story of an Emerging Friendship) - and can cause severe pulmonary infections - making this a plausible cause of this outbreak.

Thus far, I've not found any official statements corroborating these media reports.

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Normally I'm hesitant to use any media story published on this first day of April, since today is the day that even legitimate news services feel licensed to prank their readers.  

But there is, in the past hour or so, some additional news being reported by local media on the `mystery' respiratory illness contracted by 8 miners in Guyana (see A Curious Report From Guyana) who were tasked with removing bat guano from a manganese mine. 

In yesterday's report we learned at least one of the workers had died, and 7 others had been isolated at a local (Matthew's Ridge) hospital before being moved to the capital city Georgetown on Saturday.

While local health officials have denied rumors that it was H1N1 - more than thirty hours later, we still have no laboratory confirmation of their illness.

About an hour ago, however, local media (inewsguyana.com) reported that the hospital where these patients were initially transported has been shut down, and the staff (and operations) moved to a community health center,  in order to allow the facility to be `fumigated'. 

This comes 48 hours after the infected patients were moved to another facility, and may be mostly a public relations move designed to reassure their staff and local patients.

First an excerpt from the media story, then I'll return with a postscript.

Operations at Matthew’s Ridge Hospital temporarily shut down

April 1, 2019

–medical staff working from community centre, building to be fumigated

Operations at the Matthew’s Ridge Hospital, Region One (Barima/Waini), have been temporarily ceased with its medical staff working out of the Community Centre in that area.

<> was told this morning that this latest development is in light of the recent situation where at least eight Chinese nationals were air-dashed to the capital city on Saturday afternoon after experiencing a “mysterious” illness with severe symptoms similar to those of the H1N1 virus (Swine Flu).

This undiagnosed illness has already claimed the life of one individual.

A senior source told this publication that the Matthew’s Ridge Hospital has been evacuated to allow for fumigation of the facility since medical staff are still to determine the cause of the sickness that the men experienced over the past week.

        (Continue . . . )


A quick visit to Guyana's Ministry of Health Website finds no mention of this outbreak, or - for that matter - any press releases at all.  Instead, it returns an error that reads:  Error reading directory! (Dir: ./press).

Their News and Events webpage still works, but alas, the most recent entry is from May, 2016. 

The most reliable official source of information so far has been Guyana's Department of Public Information Facebook page, but their last update on this topic was 16 hours ago. They did report late yesterday on a meeting held by the Ministry of Health, Civil Defense, their CDC, and other agencies due to this outbreak: 

NEOC coordinating response to ailment in Region One

Mar 31, 2019 Government, Ministry of the Presidency, News

DPI, Guyana, Sunday, March 31, 2019

Following the reports of employees from the Guyana Manganese Incorporated (GMI) firm in Barima-Waini, Region One being infected by an ailment, the Director-General of the Civil Defence (CDC) Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig activated a National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) to bring all the key stakeholders together to ensure there is a Common Operating Picture (COP).

The seven employees who are currently hospitalised at the Georgetown Public Hospital displayed symptoms of pain, fever, headache and respiratory distress, which resulted in the death of another worker.

The meeting which was hosted at CDC’s headquarters, Thomas Lands on Sunday, aimed at identifying the key response stakeholders who will track, monitor and document the situation.

The Ministry of Public Health was identified as the lead agency for response. It will be supported by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs (MoIPA), Ministry of Communities (MoC), the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), the Guyana Geology and Mines (GGMC), the Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF)

At the end of the meeting, a plan of action was developed and agencies were designated specific responsibilities which are to be executed within an identified timeframe.

Contrary to the reports in the local media, there has been no determination of what the ailment is but all the patients have displayed similar symptoms. Tests are currently being conducted by the Ministry of Public Health to identify the ailment.

While none of this brings us any closer to knowing what has sparked this outbreak, the activation of their National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) is a sign they are taking this seriously.

Stay tuned.