GPHC doctors attends technical meeting on Zika Management in Barbados

The Pan American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) Zika Task Force has organized a PAHO incident Management System Technical Meeting in Bridgetown Barbados from May 26-27, 2016.

Dr. Ahmad Rafi Rozan, Obstetrics Specialist and Gynecologist and Dr. Ulanda Haynes, Resident in Pediatrics, both of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation will be representing Guyana.

Dr. Rozan is a specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics spanning the areas of antenatal and perinatal care with interest of decreasing maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity in order to improve quality of lives.

Dr. Haynes worked as a General Medical Officer in the Department of Pediatrics at the GPHC since 2013 and is currently a Senior Resident – Pediatrics attached to the said department.

The geographical distribution of Zika virus has been steadily increasing since it was first detected in the Americas in Brazil in May 2015. Since then, a total of 35 countries and territories have reported autochthonous (locally transmitted, mosquito- borne) transmission of Zika virus in the Americas. Several countries have reported cases of newborns with microcephaly and other conditions associated to Zika virus infection.

The Pan American Health Organisation has coordinated a process for developing harmonised recommendations on clinical care for pregnant women and newborns. The objectives of this meeting are to present an updated overview of the situation in the Region and to discuss protocols for clinical care and to analyse the challenges in preparations of the health services in the response to the outbreak of the Zika Virus.