Cayman prepared for Zika virus spread

Aedes aegypti mosquito

(CNS): Following the confirmation of ten cases of the Zika virus in the in the region, the Pan American Health Organization has expressed confidence in the level of preparedness of local public health officials, including the Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU), to detect, respond and control the spread of the virus if there is a case here. In his latest update on the outbreak, Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr Samuel Williams-Rodriguez urged residents, especially pregnant women, to take precautions against mosquito bites.

Williams-Rodriguez assured Cayman Islands residents that all Zika-related recommendations and updates will be reviewed, updated and disseminated to the public as new evidence of the disease becomes available.

Premier and Health Minister Alden McLaughlin said the preparations for the possible introduction of the virus in the Cayman Islands has the full support of his ministry. “Our various departments on the ground continue to work assiduously to ensure that in the unfortunate event that we have imported cases of the virus, it will be quickly contained,” he said.

Follows a teleconference with PAHO in Jamaica and other local key stakeholders and a recently concluded Communicable Disease Surveillance Committee meeting in relation to the evolving outbreak, Dr Williams-Rodriguez said the most recent activity of the Zika virus includes three confirmed cases in Panama and two in Honduras, as of Wednesday 16 December.

However, there is no evidence that the virus has spread to any Caribbean countries. Circulation of  the virus in the Americas was first confirmed in February 2014 on Easter Island, off the coast of Chile, and cases were reported there up to June 2014.

Explaining why pregnant women, in particular, should take precautions not to get bitten by mosquitoes, he said that the Zika virus, which is spread by mosquitoes, has been linked to an increase in the incidence of Microcephaly, a condition where the size of an infant’s head is smaller than normal because of slowed or incomplete brain development.

Even though Microcephaly can be caused by other factors, including those that are inherited, it is suspected that it can also occur if the fetus is exposed to certain infections contracted by the mother in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Dr Williams Rodriguez expresses his thanks to all health practitioners for their continued vigilance, including surveillance for neurological syndromes and congenital malformations, clinical management, including follow-up for pregnant women and newborns, and prevention control measures.

Zika outbreak in the Americas

Zika virus confirmed in 10 member states of the Americas: Brazil, Chile (on Easter Island), Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela and Honduras.

Symptoms of the Zika virus

The symptoms of the Zika Virus are very similar to that of Dengue and Chikungunya; they include fever, muscle and joint pain, conjunctivitis, headache, nausea, and rash.

There is no vaccine or cure but symptoms (which last approximately four to seven days) are treatable.

To relieve fever and pain associated with the virus, drink lots of fluids and take pain relievers such as Paracetamol. Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should be avoided to reduce the risk of haemorrhage. The infection may present itself as asymptomatic (showing no symptoms).

Symptoms usually appear following an incubation period of 3 to 12 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. They last between four and seven days and are self-limiting. Complications of the infection requiring hospitalisation are rare. However, 3 fatal cases have been detected to date in Brazil.

Source: Public Health Department.