Tag: Chikungunya
Oxitec packs up but evaluation not complete
(CNS): The controversial research project which saw genetically modified sterile male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes released into an area of West Bay in a collaboration between the Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU) and the bio-technology company Oxitec has come to a formal end. However, details of what happened, what went right or wrong, why the government went […]
HSA lab can now test for zika
(CNS): Mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue, zika and chikungunya, can now be identified much more quickly in the Cayman Islands. The Health Services Authority reports that its laboratory is now one of the three laboratories in the region that is internationally accredited with the full capabilities to test for viral diseases that may pose a […]
GM project cuts mozzies by over 80%
(CNS): There has been a dramatic fall in the number of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in West Bay, where genetically modified bugs have been released in a pilot project to get as near as possible to eradicating the disease-spreading pest. Over the last six months the MRCU, in partnership with a private UK bio-technology firm, has […]
Cayman keeps dengue and chikungunya at bay
(CNS): Public Health Department officials have confirmed that there have been no new locally transmitted cases of either chikungunya or dengue fever reported to the authorities since the start of 2015. Although health officials remain on alert, it appears that Cayman has managed to escape the regional epidemics. Meanwhile, as the PHD waits on details regarding […]
Chikungunya may have run its course
(CNS): A month into 2015 there have been no new cases of chikungunya virus in the Cayman Islands, leaving health officials to believe the virus may have run its course. Although some blood samples from patients suspected of having contracted the virus locally were sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) in January, none tested […]
Chikungunya cases on the decline
(CNS): Although there is now a clear decline in the number of local and regional chikungunya cases, public health officials are warning people to continue to take precautions against mosquito bites to ensure the situation remains that way. The worst now appears to be over in the recent Caribbean outbreak of the mosquito-transmitted virus and […]
