Tag: Zika virus
Two cases of Zika confirmed in Cayman
(CNS): Although Cayman managed to remain Zika free for a considerable time as the virus raged across the region, public health officials confirmed Tuesday the first two Cayman Islands cases of the virus, imported by returning residents who contracted the virus overseas. Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr Samuel Williams-Rodriguez said the patients are both […]
Four suspect Zika cases sent for testing
(CNS): Local public health officials have sent four blood samples from patients suspected of having the Zika virus to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) in Trinidad for testing. Dr Samuel Williams-Rodriguez, the acting medical director, said the samples were sent on Wednesday, 22 June, after three residents and one visitor presented with symptoms consistent […]
Scientists hit back at anti-GM mosquito claims
(CNS): As suspicions continue about the planned release of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes in a pilot project aimed at eradicating the invasive, disease-spreading Aedes aegypti, the MRCU and their partners in the project, the UK-based bio-technology firm Oxitec, have insisted the release is safe and that the recent adverts taken out by those opposing the project in the […]
Zika alert was case of sexual transmission
(CNS): The Cayman Islands remains free of the Zika virus, public health officials said, after a recent suspected case appears to be due to sexual transmission. Dr Samuel Williams-Rodriguez, the acting medical health officer, has explained that a tourist from Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, who had visited Cayman and then later tested positive for the […]
Visitor to Cayman tests positive for Zika
(CNS): The Public Health Department is investigating a case of Zika virus in a patient who had visited Cayman and tested positive on returning home. Despite releasing information to the media yesterday claiming Cayman was sill Zika free, following enquiries by CNS, officials released a statement Friday evening about the possible arrival of the disease […]
Cayman remains Zika free as virus spreads in region
(CNS): There have still been no reported cases of the Zika virus in the Cayman Islands, according to Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr Samuel Williams-Rodriguez. Sixty countries worldwide have reported Zika spreading in their populations since 2015, and while there is a downward trend of cases in Central and South America, numbers are rising in […]
Oxitec insists GM mozzies are safe and effective
(CNS): Responding to concerns about the long-term impact of releasing genetically engineered mosquitoes in an effort to eradicate the disease-carrying Aedes aegypti species, the firm behind the bio-science that has created sterile male insects insists that it is not only safe but very effective. Refuting claims by GeneWatch UK, which has expressed serious concerns about […]
GM mozzies to be released in West Bay
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Mosquito Research and Control Unit, in partnership with the UK-based firm Oxitec, will be releasing genetically engineered male mosquitoes across Grand Cayman in a new initiative to try and suppress the population of the Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that spreads a number of viruses. Following controversial trials here and in Florida, […]
Cayman still Zika free in face of regional spread
(CNS): With some 50 countries in the region dealing with outbreaks of Zika, over 40 of them for the first time, the rapid spread of this outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus has still not impacted Cayman. While public health officials keep warning that it is very likely that we will see cases in the Cayman […]
CDC confirms Zika is causing birth defects
(CNS): The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that scientific evidence has linked the Zika virus to microcephaly and other fetal brain defects. In a statement to the international press on Wednesday, the CDC said their study revealing the link, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, marks […]
Zika spreads through region, Cayman still clear
(CNS): As the Zika virus continues to spread thoughout the region, as of Monday, there are no reported or confirmed cases of Zika virus in the Cayman Islands. Noting that there are now 47 countries reporting active Zika transmission, Acting Medical Officer of Health, Dr Samuel Williams-Rodriguez urged the public to take “an abundance of […]
