Four more George Towners come down with Zika
(CNS): Another four women with no relevant travel history have been infected with Zika as a result of local transmission, public health officials have confirmed in the latest update regarding the spread of the virus in Cayman. Another female patient, also from George Town, who tested positive in the latest batch of test results received by the hospital had travelled to a Zika outbreak area before becoming sick. To date, nine George Town residents that have been tested have contracted the virus locally and another seven positive patients confirmed by the lab picked up the virus overseas.
But officials are warning that there may be many more people who caught Zika at home or abroad but did not seek medical assistance.
Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr Samuel Williams-Rodriguez said that none of the latest patients are related and none of them are pregnant. The senior health official stated at a media briefing recently that everyone in George Town needs to take precautions against the virus, which now includes safe sexual practices as well as protecting against mosquito bites.
Dr Williams-Rodriguez has said that detailing the communities where positive patients reside is unhelpful, even though many people want to know.
On the international scene, the World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its interim guidance on the prevention of sexual transmission of Zika. For regions with active transmission of Zika virus, WHO recommends that sexually active men and women be correctly counselled and offered a full range of contraceptive methods to be able to make an informed choice about whether, and when, to become pregnant in order to prevent possible adverse pregnancy and foetal outcomes.
For regions without active transmission of Zika virus, WHO also recommends practising safe sex or considering abstinence for a period of six months for men and women who are returning from areas of active transmission.
See Zika Fact Sheets on the CNS Library
For more advice on mosquito control, contact the Mosquito Research and Control Unit on 949-2557 in Grand Cayman, or 948-2223 on Cayman Brac; and Department of Environmental Health (DEH) on 949-6696 in Grand Cayman, or 948-2321 in Cayman Brac. For further information on Zika, please contact the Public Health Department at 244-2648 or 244-2621.
Category: Local News
Dr Williams-Rodriguez sounds like he’s operating from a playbook from 9 months ago – that Zika only affects fetal development and is only a concern for expecting mothers?!?
What about the WHO Fact Sheets and documented scientific consensus that Zika can cause Guillian-Barré Syndrome and possibly a range of other adult neurological complications?
Oh that.
I feel like not all cases are getting reported. I personally know someone who lives in Westbay who has it, I was expecting her to be on the next notification list to the public, but apparently not.
Sometimes people from West Bay just look like they have been struck by a debilitating disease. It’s very noticeable around election time.
don’t forget about the strange folks from east end……
Oh NOW unneh worried about STDS? From I heard zika was also transmitted sexually I thought to myself ‘Yes, that’s it now. The whole of Cayman soon get it.’ As much STDs out there and people still refuse to use protection, people knowing about zika nah going change anything.
Perhaps Zika is just the safer option?
“Judah said to Onan, ‘Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.’ But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother’s wife he spilled the semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother. And what he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord, and he slew him also” (Gen. 38:8–10).
Being born is dangerous for your health. You may catch Zika virus. You may die. Wait, it is inevitable.
Being born is dangerous for your health. You may die. Wait, it is inevitable.
Would be useful to know which bits of GT have the virus, nobody likes covering themselves in deet, and seeing as mosquitos don’t fly too far it would be worth knowing which areas to be a bit more vigilant on protection.
True, the Aedes Aegypti mosquitos don’t travel far…but the undiagnosed infected human hosts are free to travel and move around the island and get bitten sequentially by more mosquitos everywhere, thus distributing the virus. Unlike bumble bees that loose their stinger, female mosquitos can comfortably take several blood meals in their lifespan, laying clutches of eggs after the second meal. For those in Ivory Towers that think this will be constrained by geographic socio-economic boundary lines, guess where your nannies, caregivers, pool guys and landscapers live and commute to every day? Safe to assume it could already be everywhere there are breeding Aedes Aegypti, or very soon will be.
Now they mention safe sex! Where are these cases? The public deserves to know so that they can minimize the risk of further transmission.
Do you live in a bubble?
The general public, aside from you and your 3 likers, are already aware via world media that zika can be spread via sex, and have been since prior to the olympics. Hence why many male athletes didn’t go to Rio. Men can’t have babies just fyi.
The world medical community have been warning of the sexual spread of zika for many months. Some of our early cases were quite possibly sexually transmitted, from persons who had been in affected areas. Cayman officialdom have refused until now to emphasize the STD nature of the virus. Further, given the range of the Mosquitos, knowing where persons are being infected by Mosquitos are, particularly if the mapping shows a pocket, can be critical to preventative measures including avoiding certain areas and increasing the use of repellant. It is human nature to respond to increased risk factors appropriately. We deserve to know where the highest risk areas are. Where are they?
And by the way, the post now has 17 likes.
WHO or the Government should not need to mention/educate the public on safe sex practices, this should be used either way- not only because of Zika being transmitted sexually!