TWO cases of the Zika Virus disease were recorded in Saint Lucia at the same time this week, the first for the island.
“The office of the Chief Medical Officer received information from the Caribbean Public Health Agency confirming two cases of the Zika virus. The Ministry of Health received the confirmation yesterday (Wednesday) evening” Medical Officer, in the Ministry of Health Dr. Sharon Belmar-George said on Thursday.
She added that the patients are a 28 year-old female and a 25 year-old male both of whom are in stable condition and being treated as outpatients, according to the recommended protocol of care.
“An outbreak investigation team has been deployed to conduct a full epidemiological investigation pertaining to these cases. The individuals did not have a history of recent travel to a Zika affected country,” Dr. Belmar George said in a release, adding that investigations are currently ongoing into these confirmed cases of the Zika viral disease and that all efforts are being undertaken to limit the risk of further transmission.
“In the interim, all are reminded to adopt and maintain measures to reduce exposure to this virus. This includes storing water in tightly sealed containers to avoid the breeding of mosquitoes, using insect repellants and long clothing to prevent the exposure of skin to mosquito bites and conducting routine checks of households for potential and active breeding sites and when identified, immediately disposing of them appropriately,” she noted.
Now programmes employed to detect the disease, prevent its further entry into the country and curb its spread have been intensified. These programmes have not differed from those employed to control and prevent the spread of dengue fever which has been endemic to Saint Lucia for some time now, nor did they change when the country experienced an outbreak of the Chikungunya disease last year.
“The Environmental Health Department has always been in a prepared state to respond to any case of Zika or any disease that is transmitted by the AedesEgypti mosquito. All we have to do is to focus on our intervention measures,” Claudius Prospere, Assistant Chief Environmental Officer said.
Officials from the Ministry of Health have been on high alert in anticipation of the Zika virus in Saint Lucia from the time it was confirmed in the Caribbean earlier this year, expecting at any time to record its presence.
“It is something that we expected given the distribution within the region at this point,” Dr. Belmar George said.
“There is no way we are going to throw our hands up in the air now that we have recorded two cases,” said Dr. Michelle Francois, Medical Surveillance Officer in the Epidemiological unit of the Ministry of Health.
“Our surveillance system is monitoring the spread of the virus to contain it. We have been monitoring the spread of other diseases by the AedesEgypti Mosquito. We also have plans to monitor for complications of the disease. We have established a baseline whereby we know the number of cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome and Microcephaly on the island. All cases that have come up are being thoroughly investigated to rule out any relationship between the Zika virus and these complications,” Francois added.
Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare disorder where a person’s immune system damages the nerve cells causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. These symptoms can last a few weeks or several months. While most people fully recover from the disorder, some sustain permanent damage and in rare cases some have died.
Microcephaly is a condition in which a baby’s head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age.
The Ministry, Dr. Belmar George said, is aware of the association between the Zika disease and microcephaly but will not make any pronouncements regarding a couple’s right to pregnancy should one of them have the disease.
“The Ministry is aware of persons’ rights, the human rights issue involved and the timing of a pregnancy is really a decision of the couple and not that of the Ministry. We are not going to violate any human rights laws, let the decision be that of the woman, her spouse and her family,” Dr. George said.