Campaign begins to fight diarrhoea in Guyana

THREE government agencies have teamed up to fight diarrhoea in Guyana blamed on vendors selling
food on the nations’ streets across the country.
The Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD), the City Public Health Department
(CPHD), and Environmental Health Officers (EHO’s) from the Regions and Municipalities are worried
about the increase of unauthorised food vending nationwide.

Consequently, the agencies have agreed to commence sensitisation and enforcement campaigns for
vendors to follow the regulations and offer food that is safe for consumption.
Citing a 2009 PAHO research, the GA-FFD said in a statement that the burden-of-illness study
concluded that diarrheal illnesses, common in Guyana is linked to “makeshift food outlets” dotting the
country’s landscape.
The PAHO research said 7.7 percent of Guyana’s population is affected annually by diarrhoea.
“At the time, this figure was significantly higher than other countries in the Caribbean. Reasons for the
high prevalence of diarrhea cited by the Study include, inter alia, a large number of makeshift food
outlets, the unavailability of potable water, inadequate waste disposal and unlicensed food vendors,” the
GA-FFD statement said.
It said the National Food Safety and Control Committee (NFSCC) in light of the PAHO findings agreed
to take action against food vendors operating on the streets “who fail to comply with the basic food
hygiene requirements when plying their trade.”
The government agency will collaborate with Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Regional Health Officers
(RHO) and the Senior Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) of each Region to back the latter when in
the vanguard of the sensitisation and/or enforcement plan.
Roadside food vendors must ensure:
1. There are adequate facilities to keep food above 64 o C if kept for longer than two (2) hours.
Vendors must have food warmers in this instance or food chillers if foods must be kept
cold/chilled under 8 o C .
2. That they have access to potable running water
3. That they also have adequate garbage disposal facilities, and
4. They always have in their possession for inspection their valid Food Handlers ID Card.
“The NFSCC believes that if the four very basic requirements are satisfied, street vended food
would be protected from the associated risks, customers would be less likely to be affected with food
borne illnesses, and vendors would be able to continue their trade,” the release said.