“My
advice to colleague Heads of Government in the Caribbean is to take pre-
emptive measures to ensure the safety, health and well-being of millions of
citizens of the Caribbean region. While our risk is low, our actions must
further diminish the risks to our citizens. And I am confident that nations
across CARICOM will respond favourably,”
Prime Minister Kamla
Persad-Bissessar in a call to CARICOM Leaders to discuss a coordinated response
to a possible Ebola Virus and Chikungunya Virus outbreak
Is
there a coming Ebola Virus and Chikungunya Virus Epidemic developing in the
Caribbean?
That
seems to be the question on everybody’s mind ever since Prime Minister of
Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar called for an extra-ordinary meeting
of the CARICOM (Caribbean Community) heads of Government in Port of Spain,
Trinidad.
The
occasion for this gracious offer?
CARICOM
needs to convene to discuss the threats pose by the Ebola Virus and the Chikungunya
Virus and how to coordinate their efforts to curtail their spread so as to
avoid a Caribbean wide Pandemic as reported in the article “Trinidad
calls for CARICOM meeting on Ebola and Chikungunya threat”, published
Tuesday, August 19, 2014 9:17 PM, The
Jamaica Observer.
Reason
for pressing the Panic Button is quite obvious.
The
WHO (World Health Organization) must have alerted them of the possibility that
African National from the four (4) infected African countries were recorded to
having visited the Caribbean, suggesting that the Ebola Virus might already be
in the Caribbean. Those Four (4) African nations are as follows:
1. Guinea
2. Liberia
3. Sierra
Leone
4. Nigeria
Trinidad
and Tobago, who are supposed to have a more modern Health Care System when
compared to Jamaica, have a full blown epidemic on their hands with 80 infected
in Trinidad and Tobago as of Friday August 15th 2014, according to
Trinidad Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan as stated in the article “As
many as 80 infected with Chikungunya -- TT health minister”, published
Friday, August 15, 2014 7:32 AM, The
Jamaica Observer. So clearly an Ebola Epidemic as advised by the WHO is
coming and is very possible and when it arrives in the Caribbean, its effects would
be devastating.
On
that very same day, Friday August 15th 2014, Jamaica just hit 10
infected, 2 via importation and 8 via local transmission, with Ground Zero appearing
to be the University of the West Indies. This courtesy of the Caribbean
Nationals coming back to Jamaica carrying the Chikungunya Virus and our poor
vector control programs for the Aedes Aegypti
Mosquito islandwide as I'd pointed out in my blog article
entitled “10
Cases of Chikungunya Virus in Jamaica – How a Hurricane coming December 2014
will accelerate its spread”.
Ministry of Health’s on
Ebola – Silence of the Lambs as they don’t want to spook the Natives
The
Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health are aware of this possible
spread from the UWI as Ground Zero. Hence they've begun issuing guidelines to
the High Schools as to what to do to limit the spread of the Chikungunya Virus
as reported in my blog article
entitled “Education
and Health Ministries Meet before 2014-15 Academic Year - How to Stop
Chikungunya Virus spread by Aedes aegypti Mosquito among Children”.
Oddly
enough, and possibly out of blind optimism, nothing is being mentioned in the
Media about a possible Ebola Outbreak as I'd pointed out in my blog article
entitled “Ministry
of Health confirms four persons with Chikungunya Virus – Chic-V Just Turn Up in
the Hurricane Season as Ebola Virus is coming”.
Despite
what the Ministry of Health may be saying, the risk of Ebola in Jamaica is very
real, as we do have a lot of African Nationals Travelling to Jamaica and they
may have already carried the virus to our shores as argue in my blog article entitled
“Jamaica's
Ebola Risk - How a ZMapp cured Americans of Ebola as Jamaica can become Guinea
Pig to Test an Ebola Cure”.
We're
not even aware of it because no Health advisory has been issue to the public by
the Ministry of Health as to what are the Symptoms of Ebola. Except for
Traditional Media reports on the infected African countries and my blog article
above announcing the use of an experimental cure on a pair of American
Missionaries, there has been no Ebola Public Awareness Campaign.
Back to School Again -
Chikungunya Virus set to be Trending among High School and College Students
So
we have the makings of an Epidemic from Chikungunya Virus and possibly from the
Ebola Virus by December 2014, with a possibly spread to the country side once
everyone starts traveling back and forth within the vicinity of the UWI, August
Town and Papine.
Throw
in those persons travelling back and forth from Caribbean nations that have
known Chikungunya Virus spread as well as those Haitian Nationals landing in
Jamaica and it stands to reason it may spread beyond the four (4) parishes that
have reported infections:
1. Kingston
and St. Andrew
2. St.
Thomas
3. St.
Catherine
4. St.
Ann
This
rapid spread accelerated by High School Students travelling about within
Kingston and St. Andrew as well as UWI Students from the Rural areas travelling
back home carrying the virus into the Rural Areas is a situation I've predicted
in my blog
article entitled “Education
and Health Ministries Meet before 2014-15 Academic Year - How to Stop Chikungunya
Virus spread by Aedes aegypti Mosquito among Children”.
So
many Jamaicans have begun stocking up on DEET and Citronella Oil and are gearing
up their kids in fear and Trepidation for the start of school come Monday
September 1st 2014. By that same token, Prime Minister of Trinidad
and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar is apparently reaching out to her CARICOM Neighbors
with the aim to stop this trading of diseases. The logic is clear: coordinate
to stop the disease spread across the Caribbean otherwise once under control in
cone country, it'll flare up again propelled by the Travel of Caribbean
Nationals.
To
make it worse, with so many African nationals coming from the countries
infected by Ebola, there needs to be coordinated surveillance to prevent an
Ebola Epidemic, as the accelerated spread caused by simple inter-island Travel
suggests that if the Ebola Virus were to come to the Caribbean it would spread
just as fast - with deadlier results! Already travel advisories have been issued
by Canada as stated in “Canada
issues Chikungunya warning to travellers”, published Monday, August 18,
2014 9:48 AM, The Jamaica Observer,
advising its nationals from travelling to the Caribbean due to the spread of Chikungunya
Virus.
CARICOM’s Best Response
– Medical Field Tents at Airports, Vector Control and Free DEET
Imagine
the panic is Ebola Virus were to spread at the same rate as the Chikungunya
Virus!
CARICOM,
please meet as soon as possible. More extreme measures, such as setting up
Field Hospitals at every Caribbean Airport and other ports of Entry with
on-the-spot Doctors doing on-spot Blood Tests will be need.
The
immediate isolation of travelers coming from any of those infected countries
should be immediately implemented. They should be briefed and immediately tested.
If they test positive for either Chikungunya Virus or Ebola Virus, they should
be isolated and placed in quarantine in areas that are sealed from Aedes Aegypti Mosquito for treatment.
These
measures may sound extreme but are necessary to prevent a Caribbean-wide
Pandemic as this illness spread is moving at the speed of Global Air and Sea
Travel that connects using our increasingly globalized World. That should stop
the Ebola Virus from coming to Jamaica.
Within
each country, increased use of Malathion Spraying and Vector Control for the Aedes Aegypti Mosquito will be needed.
Finally, boost the sales of DEET and Citronella Oil as well as Mosquito Nets
via the removal of Custom Duty as well as Government subsidies. This would make
it affordable to the very poor and elderly and the very young.
Truth
be told, they’re the most vulnerable from the Chikungunya Virus and the first
to die should Ebola Virus reach the Caribbean!
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