Take the precautions, region urged

Barbados and other Caribbean countries are being cautioned to take preventive measures because of the lingering presence of arboviral diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika in the region.

The Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) said in a recent press release that member states should put preventive and control measures in place to reduce the transmission of these viruses.

CARPHA Executive Director Dr Joy St John gave the assurance that her agency will remain committed to strengthening public health systems for early detection and response to the emergence, re-emergence and spread of these infections.

“The CARPHA Medical Microbiology Laboratory (CMML) has the capacity and remains ready to test and provide diagnostic confirmation of suspected cases in the region,” Dr St John said.

“However,” she added, “member states must maintain a strategic approach to surveillance and sample collection and submission to increase our chances of early identification of infections.”

Dr St John is also urging residents to eliminate potential mosquito-breeding sites in and around their homes.

She is also encouraging countries to strengthen routine surveillance for undifferentiated fever in their communities given the increase in regional and international travel through the Caribbean and the presence of the Aedes Aegyti mosquitoes which are endemic in the region.

The CARPHA executive also told ministries of health that it is critical to continue public education campaigns to remind people of the importance of keeping their surroundings free of mosquito breeding grounds and avoiding mosquito bites.

She issued a reminder that dengue, chikungunya and Zika are associated with moderate to severe health consequences with young and/or older age groups at higher risk.

CARPHA said that Zika has been confirmed as a cause of congenital abnormalities in neonates of women infected with the disease during pregnancy, and is also a trigger for Guillain-Barre Syndrome. 

Symptoms of Zika include fever, rash, muscle and joint pain and conjunctivitis while symptoms of dengue include fever, rash, muscle and joint pain and nausea. Chikungunya may cause similar symptoms with muscle and joint pain persisting for an extended period. (PR/EJ)