MOH takes steps against new mosquito disease Zika

The Zika Virus is transmitted by the Eades Eagypti mosquito
The Zika Virus is transmitted by the Eades Eagypti mosquito

With news that another mosquito-borne disease, the Zika Virus (ZIKV), is threatening the Caribbean, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Environment in Dominica is urging residents to play their part to prevent mosquito breeding and reduce the likelihood of the disease reaching the shores of the island.

A Health Risk Management Task Force has been activated to review and refine management strategies and guidelines which will shape the Ministry’s response in the event of the disease surfaces in Dominica.

Additionally fogging activities will be initiatied in areas of high Aedes Aegypti mosquito infestation across the island.

Symptoms of this new virus include fever, joint and muscle pain, conjunctivitis, headache, weakness, rash, and swelling of the lower limbs.

There has been an outbreak of the disease in Brazil prompting an Epidemiological Alert from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

“The Ministry of Health and the Environment therefore urges the public to do their part to prevent mosquito breeding and take personal responsibility to help to reduce any possibility of the introduction of the Zika virus into the island. There is no specific vaccine or treatment for the virus,” the MOH said in an advisory on Thursday. “The Ministry further advices the public to takes precautionary measures by inspecting their homes and yards weekly, and eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites indoors and outdoors by keeping water drums and barrels tightly covered, and throwing out stagnant water from flower vases, old tyres, and other containers that might act as breeding sites.”

Additionally the National Pest and Termites Control has began placing Altosid- (a lavaticide) in ducts in Roseau, according to the MOH.

ZIKV is transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito.

Following a bite symptoms usually appear following the incubation period of three to 12 days and last for four to seven days.

No deaths have been recorded as a result of the virus globally.

The Zika Virus was first isolated in 1947 in a Rhesus monkey in the Zika Forest, Uganda.

It was first isolated in humans in 1952 in Uganda and Tanzania. Outbreaks have been seen since then in the island of Yap (2007), French Polynesia (2013) and Brazil (2015).

Last year and early this year Dominica was ravaged by a Chikungunya epidemic, which is also transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti.

There were about 3,764 cases reported across the island and 173 cases confirmed by laboratory testing.

One hundred and eleven persons were hospitalized during the epidemic.

It was declared officially over in February 2015.

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21 Comments

  1. April 17, 2017

    Like many other, Zika is also a very dangerous virus that can ruin your health. Everyone should know about Zika, it\’s symptoms, care, and treatment.

  2. Kim
    January 22, 2016

    Ah, another man made virus “discovered” in 1947 in Rhesus Monkey in the DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP jungle of Ghana, Africa. I call shit on that just like Aids was created as well as Ebola. The entire premise behind it is to create another vaccine to make millions off of poor innocent people.

  3. Peter Potter
    May 23, 2015

    They urge the general public to do their part. Okay, good. I urge the government to do its part. Look at all those open stagnant drains all over the country. An ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes and the disease!!!!

  4. Smell of Roses
    May 22, 2015

    All of a sudden. Weird. My whole life its dengue, in one year its two new diseases? On the bright side it could be a lot worse, so I won’t complain.

  5. Dominic
    May 22, 2015

    let me tell all u somting hiv ebolar zika chicken dengay it have more them come out from d labe them all of them are man made disease

  6. May 22, 2015

    Wow is from chickengonia to Zika virus what next ????????

  7. mama
    May 21, 2015

    Africans shares a big part of the blame since they have “different” hygiene standards than most Western/European countries, and the continent gets the blame too as it is dense with tropical jungle forests, which harbor all known and unknown animals/pathogens. So no surprise if most of the lethal diseases come from there. The other tropical island with similar topography and cultures are certainly vulnerable to those diseases.

    Now lets use Japan: never had a case of epidemic/plague in recent history even when countries all around were affected. Why?- because they have high standards for personal and public hygiene!

  8. anonymous2
    May 21, 2015

    Another designer virus brought to you via WHO and the UN from their private laboratories.

    • Hawke
      May 22, 2015

      You may be a no-name, but you also think and talk like an idiot!

      Think about what you just posted Einstein…why in God’s name would the World Health Organization or the United Nations want to infect another mosquito virus into the Caribbean?

      Have you become that jaded? Get a life bro!

    • Serious
      May 22, 2015

      Yes I agree with this statement. Chickengunya I also believed was man made! It is impossible for mosquitoes to breed so fast and infect so many people, like Chickengunya did, Chickengunya went thought the islands and up into the States really fast! Just impossible for a little mosquitoe to breed so fast. I believe it is a chemical that is added to the water. The reason I believe this is that we have our own water supply and drink water from a fresh water spring (Souse). We did not get Chickengunya and when we talked to other people who live in a similar way they did not get Chickengunya. Denghue fever has been around for years but never spread like Chickengunya. I therefore believe that this new Zika virus is man made. Someone out there is messing with our lives. This is not a joke.

      • Dan Tanner
        May 22, 2015

        You know nothing. You only make up crap and run your mouth.

  9. so true
    May 21, 2015

    LOL, These mosquitoes breeding like no tomorrow, right. This is man made. Ridiculous. So where did these mosquitoes come from? Out of space. Stupes

    • anonymous2
      May 22, 2015

      The virus is created in laboratories and mosquitos are exposed to it and then put into the environment. Aedes Egypti alsocarries the malaria parasite.

  10. out of south city
    May 21, 2015

    I just don’t understand why all types of mosquitoes come from Africa and none from the European countries.
    Something about this is very fishy because Africa is always portrayed in a negative light.

    • Independent Observer
      May 22, 2015

      @Out of south city…..It’s because the climate (tropical) in Africa is more conducive to mosquito breeding and thriving than Europe.

    • Dan Tanner
      May 23, 2015

      The mosquitoes in question require a tropical habitat, that’s why. Also they blow here just as does dust from the Sahara. (These mosquitoes come from the Nile region.)

  11. May 21, 2015

    Well thinga are definitely not getting easier, more diseases

  12. Zika Infestation
    May 21, 2015

    Maybe some persons that are always on a foreign trip somewhere around the middle East or Asia might very well be transporting these dangerous mosquitoes to Dominica in their briefcase by mistake. I wonder if those potential foreign investors we had in Dominica last week did not bring them in by mistake? Maybe they need to start to invest in some kind of chemical that will help us resist those mosquito-borne diseases, that visiting our shores more often than hurricanes.

    • Dan Tanner
      May 23, 2015

      They come with Sahara dust via the trade winds.

  13. It's My Damn Business
    May 21, 2015

    Since Skerrit became PM, Dominica seems to have gotton more vulnerable to mosquito-borne disease than ever before in our history. It reminds me of the plagues of Pharoah and Egypt. I mean before we can even say we are over a disease another one has to be knocking at our doors? Are we competing with Africa? I mean even our agricultural produce is suffering. Something is wrong with us boy. Maybe our politicians need to travel less just so that we not importing plagues from other far middle eastern countries that we never heard of before. Please depart from us Zika, because some of us might still be feeling the effects of chickin gon ya

    • anonymous2
      May 21, 2015

      Look at what they are doing to Africa right now. They are devastating it. But you won’t see that in the news.

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