BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WITH there being no official or confirmed cases of zika in the Federation, the substantive Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Patrick Martin is attributing this to the level of our “social factors”.
Some days ago, the acting Chief Medical Officer Dr. Cameron Wilkinson appeared on national television and told the Federation that there were confirmed cases, despite the fact that there are cases identified in neighbouring territories.
Speaking on FreedomFM yesterday (Sept. 2), Dr. Martin said, “One should not be surprised that we don’t have any cases officially yet because the social factors that we have, have totally worked in our favour.
“We have been protected here in the Federation because a. we have had two years of relative dryness; it’s a mosquito-borne illness, mosquitoes thrive in water. So we had two years of dry period, some say drought. And so I think that has helped us. We have a decent housing stock here in the Federation and so most people have piped water; they don’t have to store water to bathe and cook. And most people have indoor toilet facilities.
“Then the Parks and Beaches Units on both islands have been doing a tremendous job in cleaning up the environment. We drive, we eat, we throw out the window and then Parks and Beaches and the Environmental crew…pick it up. So there are less receptacles around gathering water. So those factors have really helped us here in St. Kitts and Nevis.”
The zika virus - as with chikungunya, dengue fever and yellow fever – is spread by the aedes aegypti mosquito and Dr. Martin said that while there have been no official cases in the Federation, he believes that there are unofficial cases.
“We do not have any confirmed cases of zika. That’s the official information that was released by the CMO Acting last week. That being said, there is zika in St. Maarten, zika in Puerto Rico, zika in Miami, zika confirmed in Antigua and it has been and continues to be my statement that once the neighbour’s house is on fire, wet yours.
“So we have the mosquito, people have been travelling back and forth. Zika is a mild illness; 80 percent of persons don’t know they have the virus. So although we have no officially confirmed cases, I would make a bet that yes … we have had cases; that persons have been infected but have not shown any symptoms.”
Dr. Martin advised that individuals continue to ensure that they take the precautionary measures to retard the proliferation of the carrier – the aedes aegypti mosquito.
“We have to go back to the old adage that cleanliness is next to godliness or is godliness. And I must say that the majority of people in St. Kitts and Nevis have been following the programme” in ensuring that their yards and premises are kept clean, thus preventing “the mosquito from proliferating…
“We are advising to cover your vents, your septic tank vents that come out your roof, cover with some wire mesh because there is some evidence that they are going into those areas and breeding…”
