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Mosquito-borne virus spreading in Caribbean

CroozeAddict
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CroozeAddict

CroozeAddict

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Just an FYI ...

 

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) -- A mosquito-borne virus appears to be spreading quickly in the Caribbean during the winter tourism season just weeks after epidemiologists first found local transmission occurring in the French dependency of St. Martin.

 

Scientists said Tuesday that St. Martin now has as many as 200 cases of chikungunya, a virus found mainly in Africa and Asia that can cause a debilitating but rarely fatal sickness with fever, rash, fatigue and intense muscle and joint pain.

 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said new cases have been confirmed on the French Caribbean islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe and St. Barthelemy. The virus also infected a couple of residents of Dutch St. Maarten, which shares an island with St. Martin that was already battling dengue fever, a more serious mosquito-borne illness.

 

On Monday, the British Virgin Islands reported three cases on the tiny isle of Jost Van Dyke, which has fewer than 300 inhabitants but fills with thousands of international revelers each New Year's Eve.

 

"It is important to note that these confirmed cases were not exposed to travel, which alerts us that the virus is already in our mosquito population," British Virgin Islands medical officer Ronald Georges said.

 

The World Health Organization was notified of chikungunya's presence in the Caribbean in early December when the first two cases were confirmed in St. Martin among residents who had not traveled recently.

 

Public health officials on the islands have stepped up fogging programs and increased epidemiological surveillance. They are also urging people to clear out stagnant water to reduce mosquito breeding sites.

 

CDC epidemiologist Erin Staples said in a Tuesday email that "further spread to other Caribbean islands and to the surrounding mainland areas is possible in the coming months and years."

 

She noted roughly 9 million U.S. residents visit the Caribbean each year. "Infected travelers could then cause local transmission of the virus in the United States if mosquitoes bite infected people and then bite other people," she said.

 

Chikungunya means "that which bends up" in the Kimako language of Mozambique, a reference to the physique of a patient. It was first isolated in 1953 in the blood of a patient in Tanzania.

 

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CB_CARIBBEAN_MOSQUITO_VIRUS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-01-14-16-47-21

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Thetrail

Thetrail

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Posted
Just an FYI ...

 

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) -- A mosquito-borne virus appears to be spreading quickly in the Caribbean during the winter tourism season just weeks after epidemiologists first found local transmission occurring in the French dependency of St. Martin.

 

Scientists said Tuesday that St. Martin now has as many as 200 cases of chikungunya, a virus found mainly in Africa and Asia that can cause a debilitating but rarely fatal sickness with fever, rash, fatigue and intense muscle and joint pain.

 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said new cases have been confirmed on the French Caribbean islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe and St. Barthelemy. The virus also infected a couple of residents of Dutch St. Maarten, which shares an island with St. Martin that was already battling dengue fever, a more serious mosquito-borne illness.

 

On Monday, the British Virgin Islands reported three cases on the tiny isle of Jost Van Dyke, which has fewer than 300 inhabitants but fills with thousands of international revelers each New Year's Eve.

 

"It is important to note that these confirmed cases were not exposed to travel, which alerts us that the virus is already in our mosquito population," British Virgin Islands medical officer Ronald Georges said.

 

The World Health Organization was notified of chikungunya's presence in the Caribbean in early December when the first two cases were confirmed in St. Martin among residents who had not traveled recently.

 

Public health officials on the islands have stepped up fogging programs and increased epidemiological surveillance. They are also urging people to clear out stagnant water to reduce mosquito breeding sites.

 

CDC epidemiologist Erin Staples said in a Tuesday email that "further spread to other Caribbean islands and to the surrounding mainland areas is possible in the coming months and years."

 

She noted roughly 9 million U.S. residents visit the Caribbean each year. "Infected travelers could then cause local transmission of the virus in the United States if mosquitoes bite infected people and then bite other people," she said.

 

Chikungunya means "that which bends up" in the Kimako language of Mozambique, a reference to the physique of a patient. It was first isolated in 1953 in the blood of a patient in Tanzania.

 

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CB_CARIBBEAN_MOSQUITO_VIRUS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-01-14-16-47-21

This is very old news...:)
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reedl

reedl

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We were in St. Maarten on New Year's Day from a cruise and we are just fine. We spent the day at Maho beach watching the planes come in :)

 

I hate to say this, but this is the worst logic I have ever seen. You are trying to prove a negative with a single example of the negative.

 

Some people will be affected by this, and others will not. But if someone is not affected it does not mean that nobody will be affected. And if someone is affected by it, it does not mean that everybody will be affected either.

Edited by reedl
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Host Star

Host Star

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just returned from st martin/both sides, dutch and French... no problem but I did bring some Cutter Off and sprayed our balcony and us .. our driver said it has rained every day for 2 months and the dampness causing mosquitoes to breed in the low lying areas....the sun was shining but as soon as we got to Orient Beach the clouds came and we got a quick downpour, right after we had paid for our chaise and umbrella.. :(

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CroozeAddict

CroozeAddict

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This is very old news...:)

 

Sorry if it is (or you must be thinking of some other outbreak). It just appeared on the AP website today (dated yesterday). ... Jan 14, 6:02 PM EST

 

If you cared to look at the link you'd know that.:rolleyes:

Edited by CroozeAddict
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knittinggirl

knittinggirl

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We were in St. Maartin last month and didn't encounter a problem. This was right before the first new announcement. These days we always apply bug spray before venturing out. A few years ago, West Nile came to West Texas, and a friend of ours was in the hospital for months.

 

We had a bug hitchhike on our balcony from Monterey, California to Catalina Island. With all the cruise ships hitting the islands regularly, it's not surprising things are spreading.

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DrD

DrD

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I hate to say this, but this is the worst logic I have ever seen. You are trying to prove a negative with a single example of the negative.

 

Some people will be affected by this, and others will not. But if someone is not affected it does not mean that nobody will be affected. And if someone is affected by it, it does not mean that everybody will be affected either.

 

True, but, when it comes to stuff like this people are not logical. If they hear of one person having a bad experience, they get scared. If they hear of 1 incident of a crime, they don't want to go to a port. How many parents do I still hear telling their kids to bundle up so they don't get a cold?

 

So maybe hearing of 1 or 2 people doing fine will reassure some.

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BLAMBKY

BLAMBKY

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We'll be in St. M in about 1 week (sailing out of Baltimore on the 21st - woo hoo:D) with bug repellant - just in case. (I bet it will smell great with our sunblock.:rolleyes:)

 

I think my husband, who mosquitoes love, uses "Bug Off" (or similar name) it is insect repellent and sunscreen together. It is in a green plastic bottle, usually pump spray.

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mom says Excellent Advice! Rare

mom says

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If there is a single mosquito within a mile of me, it will be sure to bite me. And while mosquito activity is greatest around dusk, if it is damp enough you can find them (or they can find you) any time of the day.

 

Mosquitos and the diseases that they can transmit can be found on a lot of Caribbean islands. I believe dengue is present in Puerto Rico right now. This isn't going to scare me away from visiting. By the same token, just because the number of cases is relatively low, I'm not going to ignore it either. Bringing a small bottle of Deep Woods Off (with DEET) and remembering to put it on before getting off the ship isn't exactly a hardship.

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BND

BND

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If there is a single mosquito within a mile of me, it will be sure to bite me. And while mosquito activity is greatest around dusk, if it is damp enough you can find them (or they can find you) any time of the day.

 

Mosquitos and the diseases that they can transmit can be found on a lot of Caribbean islands. I believe dengue is present in Puerto Rico right now. This isn't going to scare me away from visiting. By the same token, just because the number of cases is relatively low, I'm not going to ignore it either. Bringing a small bottle of Deep Woods Off (with DEET) and remembering to put it on before getting off the ship isn't exactly a hardship.

 

Dengue fever is in Florida too, so people can't use mosquito borne illness in the Caribbean as an excuse since you can catch some of these diseases anywhere. I carry Off Wipes which came in very handy in Belize when we went to Altun Ha which is in a rain forest.

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Familygoboston Great Review Rare

Familygoboston

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As others have pointed out you risk is small as cruisers as most mosquitos are active at dawn and dusk. However, I do so many excursions in the "woods" when I cruise that I always include bug repellent wipes in my " go bag"* and if I notice any insects, I will use them.

 

*go bag:

This is my small bag (generally a snack size baggie) with a few first aid items, and a couple of each of these medicines in it to use while on excursions. Here is what I carry and example of when it "saved the day" :

 

-SPF 30 lip balm

-Bug repellent wipes - (no see ums attacked in Tahiti)

-Advil (many a headache or other ache)

-Imodium (on Galapagos, where NOTHING is to be left behind, this saved me from having to make an early exit from the island)

-Tums (I also use these if my legs get jumpy on planes)

-Benadryl (DD has often brushed up against some plant that causes a topical reaction)

-Bonine (many times for motion sickness, on small boats or busses)

-Blister band aids (walking around WDWin newish shoes)

-Regular band aids (when doesn't someone need one of these?)

-One of those spray antibiotic dispensers for cuts (see above)

(I also carry one of my DHs migraine pills)

 

This has whatever I might need in a pinch, when something minor (a headache, a blister!) might otherwise spoil a good day; emergencies of any larger size would mean an excursion interruption anyway, but many times Ive been able to "solve" little issues before they ruin the day! And it all fits in a snack sized Baggie!

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Thetrail

Thetrail

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Sorry if it is (or you must be thinking of some other outbreak). It just appeared on the AP website today (dated yesterday). ... Jan 14, 6:02 PM EST

 

If you cared to look at the link you'd know that.:rolleyes:

I didn't see the point....:rolleyes::rolleyes:
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marypat01

marypat01

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I think my husband, who mosquitoes love, uses "Bug Off" (or similar name) it is insect repellent and sunscreen together. It is in a green plastic bottle, usually pump spray.

 

I just look at them cross-eyed with a stupid smile - then I squish them while they are laughing.

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