Horace Fisher, Star Writer

With chikungunya affecting a number of public and private agencies, organisations and the wider society, co-chair of the Clarendon Inter-agency Network (CIAN) Baldvin McKenzie, is urging the public to exercise patience when dealing with agencies and/or organisations.

McKenzie, the Clarendon parish manager at the Social Development Commission, in illustrating his point, says 50 per cent of his staff members are currently out with chikungunya-like symptoms, and with similar reports coming from other agencies, the public may experience a delay in service.

"Seven of our team members are currently down and this is putting a strain on the parish right now and is impacting on our work. Therefore, I am asking the public to see with us because there are persons who are having these symptoms and are unable to come to work," McKenzie appealed. "We are trying to serve the best way we can, but if we are short-staffed, we aren't able to carry out that quality service we normally do. So, we are asking our clients to just be patient with us."

However, the Clarendon medical officer of health, Dr Vitillius Holder, in a presentation to CIAN general meeting, continues to insist that there aren't any confirmed cases of the chikungunya in Clarendon.

She said to declare a case of the disease there must be laboratory confirmation, using the prescribed protocol. The parish medical officer also pointed to historical data that indicated a seasonal spike in leptospirosis, dengue and other viral illnesses with chikungunya-like symptoms during this time of the year.

"Even before the chikungunya concerns, around this time of the year, we would have had increased fever, muscle pain, or chikungunya-like symptoms for person with suspected dengue, leptospirosis or other viral illnesses. Therefore, probably what we are seeing now isn't necessarily all due to chikungunya," she said.