A chick­en­pox out­break af­fect­ing health­care work­ers at San­gre Grande Hos­pi­tal has raised con­cerns about work­place safe­ty, staffing pres­sures, and em­ploy­ee wel­fare with­in Trinidad and To­ba­go’s pub­lic health­care sys­tem.

Pres­i­dent of the Trinidad and To­ba­go Na­tion­al Nurs­es As­so­ci­a­tion (TTNNA), Idi Stu­art, con­firmed that while ru­mours of tu­ber­cu­lo­sis (TB) and menin­gi­tis out­breaks had been cir­cu­lat­ing, the on­ly con­firmed out­break was chick­en­pox.

“The as­so­ci­a­tion has been able to gath­er that the on­ly re­al out­break there is, is chick­en­pox,” Stu­art said dur­ing a ra­dio in­ter­view. “We are not aware of any TB out­break. We are not re­al­ly aware of any menin­gi­tis out­break.”