On the offensive

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Jan 15, CMC – The Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) says it is working closely with the French and Dutch authorities after the region recorded its first ever case of chikungunya.

Late last month, CARPHA said it had received notification of 10 confirmed cases of locally acquired chikungunya virus infection on the French side of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin.

CARPHA executive director Dr. James Hospedales told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) Wednesday that three cases have now been detected in the British Virgin Islands.

“We have prepared ourselves by building the capacity of our staff to do the testing and our staff has been visiting and advising the countries including St. Martin even before this was on the horizon about the mosquito control programmes in the countries.

“We are working closely with the French and Dutch authorities to have a coordinated approach to dealing with the problem by sharing numbers, sharing strategies to mosquito control and so on.”

“My advice would be to stay inform and stay alert to the news and any updated information, secondly we would strongly advised that you go to our web and download the chart which is a checklist of all the breeding places in the yard where mosquitoes can breed.”

Chikungunya is a viral disease, carried mainly by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and causes a dengue-like sickness.