The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment is again urging to persons here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to take every precaution to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes following concerns of confirmed cases of the Zika virus in neighbouring territories of the Caribbean Community.
Zika is a viral disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the same insect vector for Dengue and Chikungunya.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Simone Keizer-Beache has therefore emphasized the need for prevention and control measures to be taken in order to prevent transmission of the virus.
At a meeting convened today January 20th, 2016, technical heads in the Ministry of Health, inclusive of obstetricians, pediatricians and community health professionals, the threat to the health of St. Vincent and the Grenadines posed by the circulating Zika virus was emphasized.
Persons are encouraged to take note of credible reports suggesting a strong link between Zika infection in pregnant females and unfavourable pregnancy outcomes, such as stillbirths and birth defects, notably microcephaly, where the size of an infant’s head is smaller than normal, because of slowed or incomplete brain development.
Females who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should seek prenatal care to receive information and monitoring of their pregnancy.