Caribbean takes steps to fight mosquito virus

The spread of the chikungunya mosquito-borne illness, or chik-V for short, has Caribbean governments working to educate the public and to alert travelers to prevent the disease from damaging the region’s tourist-dependent economies.

The latest numbers from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reveal that chik-V has been reported in 34 countries or territories in the Caribbean, Central America and South America since the first case surfaced in St. Martin last December.

The numbers total 737,084 suspected and 12,052 laboratory-confirmed chik-V cases. According to PAHO, the deaths of 118 people in the Caribbean have been attributed to the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 1,211 suspected cases and 10 confirmed cases in the U.S.

All but a handful of the suspected cases have occurred in travelers returning from affected areas.

While visitor numbers have not been affected by the outbreak, officials are taking no chances.

Warning signs are posted at airports and cruise ports, and hotels have begun placing informational fliers and mosquito repellent in guestrooms.

The viral disease is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitos. It is not contagious and cannot be spread by human contact, but it has no cure or vaccine.

Fenton Ferguson, Jamaica’s health minister, appealed to members of the diplomatic community to help reduce the spread of the virus.

“Reducing the breeding sites for mosquitos is the only effective way to slow the spread of chikungunya, but the government alone cannot do this,” Fenton said. “We require an integrated response and partnership with every sector of society to contain the spread since the mosquito breeds in homes and other places where people gather.”

He said that the virus is disrupting life, cutting productivity on the island and affecting attendance in schools and workplaces.

Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, through a joint effort with the Ministry of Health, established a telephone hotline to receive calls from people experiencing chik-V symptoms.

The hotline is not an emergency number but is for monitoring and reporting chik-V cases and for identifying mosquito breeding sites.

The issue was discussed at the recent Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) State of the Industry Conference in St. Thomas.

“We walk step in step with the Caribbean Public Health Agency in helping disseminate information on how to protect our visitors and our own people,” said Hugh Riley, the CTO’s secretary general.

In a panel session on medical tourism, Dr. James Hospidales, the agency’s executive director, pointed out that “the worst-case scenario would be that the impact would be significant and slow down the whole economy in the Caribbean.”