“In
the last decade, the Caribbean has been wrestling with wave after wave of
vector borne diseases. During the last two years the Region has seen
unrelenting outbreaks of Chikungunya, and more recently Zika”
Dr. Joy St. John,
Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control at CARPHA speaking at
a Workshop to Develop a Regional Network on Surveillance and Diagnosis of
Emerging Vector-borne Diseases in the Caribbean
I
hope everybody enjoyed their Christmas Dinner as well as Boxing Day! I sure
known I did....'cause I've got bad news for y'all!
It's
now been reported by PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) to be in the
Caribbean island of Martinique as reported in the article “Zika
virus reported in Martinique”, published December 24, 2015 by Robert
Herriman, Outbreak News Today.
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More
specifically, they're reporting autochthonous or local transmission, meaning
that the Zika Virus is already in the country and is now being transmitted
among the islander by the Aedes Aegypti Mosquito:
1.
11th in the Americas to
report Zika Virus in 2015
2.
12th to report local
transmission of the Zika Virus in 2015
Take
a look at this map
from the PAHO to get an idea of the spread of the Zika Virus and you'll
realize that we're surrounded. It most likely came via Suriname as they had
reported five (5) cases of the Zika Virus in November 2015 as noted in the
article “Zika
virus reported in Martinique”, published Sunday, December 27, 2015, The Jamaica Observer.
 |
This
now means that Martinique, which is a part of the Lesser Antilles, are part of
an unenviable statistic of countries with local transmission as note in the
article “Martinique
Joins List Of Regional Countries With Zika Virus Infection”, published
Sunday December 27, 2015, The Jamaica
Gleaner:
1.
Brazil
2.
Chile
3.
Colombia
4.
El Salvador
5.
French Guyana
6.
Guatemala
7.
Honduras
8.
Martinique
9.
Mexico
10. Panama
11. Paraguay
12. Suriname
13. Venezuela
Good
to note that with the Zika Virus in Martinique, it would seem that like the
Chikungunya Virus, it also loves the French as noted in my blog article
entitled “Ministry
of Health gearing up for Chikungunya Virus Epidemic - Aedes aegypti Mosquito
loves the French as it Island-Hops to Jamaica”.
So
what is Jamaica doing in preparation for the Zika Virus?
Jamaica’s preparation
for Zika Virus – Minister of Health Horace Dalley play Politics with Zika
Minister
of Health Horace Dalley, in his Christmas Message on Friday December 25th
2015, says it's only a matter of time before it comes to Jamaica as noted in
the article “No
Doubt ZIKV Will Enter Jamaica - Health Minister”, published Friday December
25, 2015, The Jamaica Gleaner.
I've
been saying that since May 2015 as noted in my blog article
entitled “Zika
Virus is coming to Jamaica – Zero MOH Preparedness for Chikungunya Part II but
Mosquito Repellant and Vitamin C works”.
In
fact, there is even the possibility that the Zika Virus is already in Jamaica
as argued in my blog
article entitled “12
Jamaicans infected with Zika Virus - Why Zika Virus is already Spreading in
Jamaica due to Climate Change”.
 |
Since
Thursday December 3rd 2015 he's gotten the Parish Councils to
mobilize some 1000 Health volunteers to spread the word on eradicating the
breeding grounds for the Aedes Aegypti Mosquito as noted in my blog article
entitled “Ministry
of Health's 1000 Health volunteers for Zika Virus as 1,200 babies in Brazil
with microcephaly”.
Something
tell me this is politically motivated ploy to win over young voters, seeing as
72% of new additions to the Voter’s List are between the ages of 18 to 24 years
old as noted in my blog article
entitled “How
Math, Sorrel Shortage of 2015, Dead Babies Scandal and Younger Voters stopped
Jamaica's General Election 2015”.
So
how bad can this Zika Virus be?
2,400 microcephaly as
Brazil declares State of Emergency – Women advised not to get pregnant
Now
some 2,400 babies showing signs of microcephaly that seems to correlate with
their mothers’ having symptoms of the Zika Virus as noted in the CDC’s
(Center for Disease Control) “Possible association between Zika virus and
microcephaly”
This
correlation is being studied by ECDC (European Center for Disease Prevention
and Control) as detained in “Microcephaly
in Brazil potentially linked to the Zika virus epidemic”.
This
has forced Brazil to declare a State of Emergency as microcephaly in babies has
now taken on epidemic proportions as reported in the article “Brazil
declares emergency after 2,400 babies are born with brain damage, possibly due
to mosquito-borne virus”, published December 23 2015 By Ariana Eunjung Cha,
The Washington Post.
To
this end, women in Brazil who show symptoms of the Zika Virus are being warned
not to get pregnant as reported in the article “Brazil
warns against pregnancy due to spreading virus”, published December 24,
2015, By Shasta Darlington, CNN.
The
symptoms of the Zika Virus manifest within three (3) to twelve (12) days after
the first bite by an infected Aedes Aegypti
mosquito.
 |
Symptoms
will be seen four (4) to seven (7) days after the initial infection. The
symptoms last for up to four (4) weeks or longer:
1.
Conjunctivitis
2.
Fever
3.
Headache
4.
Joint and muscle pain
5.
Rash
6.
Swelling of the lower limbs
7.
Weakness
You have to have a diet that's
consistently loaded with Vegetables and fruits that contain Vitamin C as well
as taking supplement that contain the vitamin. microcephaly
in babies suggests that babies in the womb are
susceptible to the Zika Virus as they too have weak immune system i.e. babies,
children suffering from an illness or elderly persons with other health
problems.
Vitamin C is not a cure all for all
diseases as having it as a regular part of your diet boost your immune system
and make it able to withstand viral infections as explained in my blog article entitled “Vitamin C and
the Chikungunya Virus - How to increase your Vitamin C Intake, Glutathione and
Interferon by White Blood Cells”.
Start eating fruits and Vegetables as a
regular part of your diet and take Vitamin C supplement to boost your immune
system, as the Zika Virus is here! Good
to note that reducing the breeding sites for the Aedes Aegypti Virus is key is preventing the spread of the Zika
Virus.
 |
Prevention
is still key, as by reducing the breeding sites for the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, you can reduce the spread of the Zika Virus
as show above in the CARPHA Yard
Poster.
You
can also prevent yourself from getting bitten by disease carrying Aedes Aegypti mosquito by taking the
following precautions:
1.
Wearing long-sleeved clothing or long
pants
2.
Using DEET insect repellents
3.
Sleeping under mosquito nets
So how are the parishes coping thus far!?
Preparation by WRHA and
Clarendon – Why 2016 will be the year of Zika Virus
Back
here in Jamaica, the WRHA (Western Regional Health Authority), which I rarely
hear about, is also getting prepared as noted in the article “WRHA Heightens ZIKV
Preparedness”, published December 23, 2015 by Sharon Earle, The Jamaica Information Service.
They've
increase thier inventory of painkillers and make sure that their laboratory
testing facilities are ready to take blood samples of persons coming in with
symptoms of the Zika Virus. They've also made sure that their Zika Virus
isolation wards have mosquito nets and insect repellent to reduce the rate of
spread.
Preparations
are also ongoing in earners here in Clarendon, where I live.
According
to Medical Officer of Health at the Clarendon Health Department (CHD), Dr
Kimberly Scarlett Campbell, the Minister of Health Horace Dalley has assigned
same 100 of those Health volunteers to the parish as noted in the article “Clarendon
On High Zika Virus Alert”, published Wednesday December 16, 2015, The Jamaica Gleaner.
The
Zika Virus did not come in 2015. But 2016, the Year of the Monkey, is most definitely
set to be the Year of the Zika Virus in Jamaica!
Here's
the link:
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