Dear Editor,
The Jamaica Observer editorial dated September 12, 2014, titled 'Mr Seiveright should cool it' grants me the opportunity to restate and clarify for you my position on chikungunya.
For one, let me categorically state that I have never diagnosed anyone with having chikungunya, this is frankly as untrue as it is absurd. On the contrary, I saw for myself in St Thomas many persons affected by what their doctors confirmed as chikungunya.
At first I was doubtful as the ministry reported then 21 confirmed cases, I too had gobbled up official government data. After all, the ministry then provided little if any information on suspected and/or widespread chikungunya reports from doctors, and the biggest fact of all that most of the affected were not tested, thereby keeping official case numbers artificially low.
On another note, St Thomas Eastern is the very epitome of underrepresentation, underdevelopment and sheer neglect. Poverty is high and many have confined themselves into the burgeoning ranks of the voiceless and as such suffer quietly. This had to change.
I brought to public attention the suffering of the citizens and was amazed at how quickly more people were willing to come forward, now unofficially confirming what many of the voiceless knew, that several parishes are in the midst of a chikungunya epidemic.
Too much of the ministry's response to date is shrouded in arrogant denial, ridiculously apportioning some of the blame to doctors and clumsy management. We are just finding out about an Emergency Operations Centre, and to date there is still no substantive fogging and public-education programme in place. The ministry's PR frankly is way out of sync with the reality on the ground.
I won't "cool it", as a representative of Jamaica's young generation, I refuse to sit by and turn a blind eye to suffering people.
Delano Seiveright
Caretaker, JLP
St Thomas Eastern
delanoseiveright@yahoo.com
I won't cool it, Observer
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The Jamaica Observer editorial dated September 12, 2014, titled 'Mr Seiveright should cool it' grants me the opportunity to restate and clarify for you my position on chikungunya.
For one, let me categorically state that I have never diagnosed anyone with having chikungunya, this is frankly as untrue as it is absurd. On the contrary, I saw for myself in St Thomas many persons affected by what their doctors confirmed as chikungunya.
At first I was doubtful as the ministry reported then 21 confirmed cases, I too had gobbled up official government data. After all, the ministry then provided little if any information on suspected and/or widespread chikungunya reports from doctors, and the biggest fact of all that most of the affected were not tested, thereby keeping official case numbers artificially low.
On another note, St Thomas Eastern is the very epitome of underrepresentation, underdevelopment and sheer neglect. Poverty is high and many have confined themselves into the burgeoning ranks of the voiceless and as such suffer quietly. This had to change.
I brought to public attention the suffering of the citizens and was amazed at how quickly more people were willing to come forward, now unofficially confirming what many of the voiceless knew, that several parishes are in the midst of a chikungunya epidemic.
Too much of the ministry's response to date is shrouded in arrogant denial, ridiculously apportioning some of the blame to doctors and clumsy management. We are just finding out about an Emergency Operations Centre, and to date there is still no substantive fogging and public-education programme in place. The ministry's PR frankly is way out of sync with the reality on the ground.
I won't "cool it", as a representative of Jamaica's young generation, I refuse to sit by and turn a blind eye to suffering people.
Delano Seiveright
Caretaker, JLP
St Thomas Eastern
delanoseiveright@yahoo.com
I won't cool it, Observer
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