10 Confirmed Cases of Chikungunya; Country remains a Safe Tourism and Travel Destination
Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Cornelius de Weever says a country-wide clean-up in the various districts to eliminate mosquito breeding sites as the country confirms a total of 10 Chikungunya cases, eight in addition to the two announced earlier this month, will start Saturday, January 25.
Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure stated on Monday that his Ministry and stakeholders will start removing old car wrecks this week which can serve as a breeding ground for mosquitos.
"I am appealing to the Sint Maarten population to take this matter seriously and do what has to be done to eliminate mosquito breeding areas. Every individual, household and business has a responsibility to take action and protect public health and our economy.
"My Ministry VROMI is busy working with waste disposal companies to draft a plan of action for a country-wide clean-up to start on January 25. We need everybody on-board for this country-wide effort," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Monday.
Prime Minister Wescot-Williams also stated on Monday that wide-scale inter-ministerial cooperation and cooperation on an international level is also part of the response to the virus: "Since there are now established cases on St. Maarten our medical health sector is working very closely with PAHO and WHO on the best ways to combat the virus and keep St. Maarten healthy for its Residents and Visitors.
"The focus right now is not only on communicating the steps which can be taken by all individuals to combat the virus but also important is the message stressing cooperation across the board. The emphasis is on all Ministries working together to understand the potential of this disease if left unchecked. In addition to that the individual responsibility, while we should not be pushing the panic button, we should all share the responsibility as far as curbing the spread of the Chikungunya virus," commented the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Wescot-Williams also stressed that the travel advisory, which was issued by the United States Department of State, is part of procedure once a transmissible virus such as Dengue and Chikungunya are concerned. "The advisories are not to push the panic button but are related to the reporting and advisory obligations. Despite the virus being recorded on St. Maarten the island is safe for residents and visitors and Government is focusing considerable effort in controlling the disease," ended Wescot-Williams.
Minister De Weever re-emphasizes that Sint Maarten remains a safe tourism and travel destination despite challenges posed by Dengue and Chikungunya.
The Ministry of Public Health continues to conduct epidemiological surveillance to collect and analyze data from the various stakeholders in the health field on a weekly basis. Control staff are visiting yards, and properties in the districts and advising residents to take immediate action.
Minister De Weever is appealing to social and civic clubs as well as community councils to come together with their members and assist the people in their districts with clean-up campaigns when the national clean-up action starts. For additional information these organizations can contact the Ministry of Public Health at surveillance@sintmaartengov.org or 542-2078.
Chikungunya, is a virus similar to dengue, transmitted by the same mosquito that spreads dengue. The symptoms are similar to dengue fever and may include a sudden high fever, headache, rash, nausea and muscle pain.
However, stiffness and severe joint pain, especially in the wrists, knuckles or ankles, are more often associated with chikungunya. The incubation period (time from infection to illness) can be two to 12 days but is usually three to seven days. Acute chikungunya fever typically lasts a few days to a few weeks and some infected patients in the Asia region have reported debilitating arthritic pain persisting for weeks or months.
The condition’s outcome is that most patients feel better within a week; some people may develop longer-term joint pain; people at increased risk for severe disease include newborns exposed during delivery, older adults and people with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease. Deaths are rare. There is no vaccine or medication to prevent Chikungunya virus infection or disease, the recommended prevention is to reduce mosquito exposure.
Residents and business leaders play a key role by continually being active in taking measures to mitigate the mosquito population in eliminating mosquito breeding sites.
Minister De Weever said that the Governments of both sides of the island are taking all measures necessary to mitigate the further increase in these mosquito-borne viral diseases.
Residents and visitors are reminded to protect themselves especially when out during dusk and dawn hours by using mosquito repellent or wear proper clothing to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.
The Collective Prevention Services, an agency of the Ministry of Public Health once again calls on all businesses, schools, students, community councils, social clubs and public services to actively take actions on a daily basis to eliminate mosquitos by checking containers such as buckets and water tanks for larvae and eliminate the breeding source. If there aren’t any containers with water for mosquitoes to lay the larvae there won’t be any adult mosquitoes.
Dengue Fever and Chikungunya are transmitted by the female vector Aedes Aegypti mosquito. The Aedes Aegypti mosquito lays her eggs in clear (clean) stagnant water. Within eight days the mosquito can complete its life cycle from egg, to larvae to pupae and to adult mosquito.
An increase in the mosquito population puts all residents and businesses at risk. Call for information on the Aedes Aegypti mosquito breeding sites and respective preventive measures at 542-2078 or 542-3003 or visit the Facebook Collective Prevention Services.