Government
Ministry of Health ignores rebuke, focuses on capacity for Cholera report
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, June 12, 2023 – After recording one case the Ministry of Health says it is working to be able to check for cholera locally.
“As a result of this case, the Ministry of Health and Human Services is rapidly developing its capacity to provide confirmatory testing within the country. As the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) is still the regional body
The update was shared in a June 7th press release which this time correctly referred to the bacteria which caused the disease, Vibrio cholera.
The correction followed a scathing rebuke by PDM Opposition leader and former health minster, Edwin Astwood who called the error in labelling cholera a viral disease, “academically shameful.”
The Minister opted not to respond to Astwood’s criticisms, instead informing in a second media statement that a sample from the lone patient was sent off to Trinidad and Tobago immediately and arrived in that country on Tuesday.
The public will learn of updates once they are available, said the ministry.
In the meantime Shaun Malcolm, Minister of Health and Human Services, said having testing capacity locally was “essential to safeguard our local population by providing information to inform early response from the public health team to facilitate interventions aimed at preventing further disease spread.”
He also encouraged residents to always be vigilant in practicing proper hygiene.