BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER (CMO) Dr. Patrick Martin has indicated that 21 cases of Chikungunya have so far been confirmed in the Federation and it would take the assistance of the entire nation to control its spread.
The CMO made this disclosure today (May 27) in a brief interview with this publication.
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He stated that Chikungunya is a virus that is contracted through the bite of an infected mosquito.
Dr. Martin also stated that currently there are 21 confirmed cases of the illness in St. Kitts, but noted that there has been no reported case in Nevis.
He said the first case was an imported one and the others were local.
When asked if there was an outbreak in the Sandy Point area, Dr. Martin stressed that the virus was throughout St. Kitts.
"There is no Sandy Point area anymore! Even though we don't have any confirmed cases coming out of Nevis, there are confirmed cases in Antigua and all around us. We all are in the neighbourhood, we all will be affected and we all would be affected because we all have the mosquito," he said.
Last week however, Acting Chief Environmental Health Officer Alexander Riley stated on WINN FM's Talking Trash Programme that the majority of reported cases had stemmed from Sandy Point.
"The index case was in Sandy Point and so what you find is that most of the cases that we've been having, suspected and confirmed cases, is in the Sandy Point area," he said.
Dr. Martin however maintained that the cases were islandwide and the Ministry is seeking the public's assistance to curb its spread.
"The Ministry of Health is seeking the cooperation of the general public to keep the mosquito burden to a minimum by searching and destroying all receptacles that can collect water. And the Ministry is also doing some aerial spraying," he explained.
He however stressed that spraying is not as effective as having the breeding sites destroyed.
"Aerial spraying is less effective than destroying the breeding site; and to destroy the breeding sites we need the continuous cooperation of the general public. Some persons have been doing a good job, but there are other persons who need a little more encouragement."
He advised that the message be made public so that people would be aware that "it is not just a Ministry of Health control at all...it is for everybody".
Dr. Martin said all hands need to be on deck to control and stop the spread of Chikungunya.
