From Jamaica Obsever

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (CMC) – The head of the Caribbean Public Health Authority (CARPHA), Dr James Hospedales, has declared the Chikungunya virus has reached epidemic proportions in the Caribbean.

“By definition this is an epidemic since it represents an unusual number of cases of this problem where we would never have it before,” Dr Hospedales told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

The mosquito-borne illness was first detected in the Caribbean in December 2013, in St Martin, and last week Antigua and St Vincent and the Grenadines became the latest countries to declare an outbreak.

According to Dr Hospedales, as of April 28, there were 4,108 probable cases in 14 countries across the region.

He also stated that Caribbean countries have been putting measures in place to address the spread of the virus.

“PAHO (the Pan American Health Organisation) since 2012 had done a preparatory briefing, in July of last year we convened a Caribbean-wide virtual meeting of the chief officers in the countries in the labs, to highlight this emerging threat and to adjust our surveillance protocols and laboratory testing to have early detection.

“In December, once it came into the region we established an incident management team, and that has regular contact with the countries, with PAHO, with the French and so on,” Hospedales said.

Chikungunya is spread by the Aedes Egypti mosquito, which also spreads dengue fever.

Hospedales noted there are steps that can be taken to contain the disease.

“Our main recommendations are to continue to educate members of the public on the current situation, and get accurate information to avoid confusion.

“It is very important to inspect homes and communities to eliminate potential vector breeding sites for the Aedes Egypti mosquito,” he said.

He also advised that people who are sick with fever and suspect they may be suffering from dengue or Chikungunya, should use an insect repellant and sleep under a mosquito net.

“This is not a severe disease, in that people don’t die from it, whereas dengue can kill you, but Chikungunya has more long term a significant per cent of people will have joint pains one year, two years afterwards,” Hospedales said.

To date the Chikungunya virus has been confirmed in Anguilla, Aruba, Virgin Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Barthelemy, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Maarten (Dutch) and St Martin (French).

For more on this story go to: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Chikungunya-now-an-epidemic-in-the-Caribbean

See related stories:

Chikungunya spreading in Caribbean at “one new country a week”

From Crofts Blogs

Via the Miami Herald, a highly informative article: As Haiti awaits confirmation, a quickly spreading mosquito-borne virus in Caribbean sparks concern – Americas.

ROSEAU, Dominica — Caribbean health experts warned Thursday that they “cannot stop” a rapidly spreading mosquito-borne virus that has infected thousands and is associated with six deaths in the region.

The alert comes as the Dominican Republic’s health ministry became the 15th Caribbean nation to confirm cases of the chikungunya virus, and Haiti announced it was awaiting confirmation whether the debilitating viral disease had arrived on its already vulnerable shores.

So far, the World Health Organization has documented more than 4,000 confirmed cases in the Caribbean, with the French territories the hardest hit, and more than 31,000 suspected cases. The developments come as the tourist-dependent Caribbean prepares to usher in the summer travel season when hundreds of thousands of pleasure seekers are expected to flock to the region.

“At first I thought we could stop it. I have since revised that thinking, given the way it is spreading. We cannot stop it,” said Dr. James Hospedales, the executive director of the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency, which is awaiting the arrival of 17 specimen from Haiti for testing. “All we can hope to do is slow it down.”

More commonly found in Asia and Africa, chikungunya was first detected in the Caribbean in December in the French territory of St. Martin. It’s spread to about one new country a week.

For more on this story go to: http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/2014/05/chikungunya-spreading-in-caribbean-at-one-new-country-a-week.html

More cases of chikungunya reported in St Vincent

From Jamaica Observer

The Aedes Egypti mosquito, which causes the Chikungunya virus. Although Chikungunya does not cause death, like dengue fever, which is also spread by the Aedes Egypti mosquito, Chikungunya can cause infected persons to have joint pains for more than two yearS.

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) — The Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has confirmed 12 new cases of the mosquito-borne virus chikungunya in St Vincent and the Grenadines, as health authorities step up efforts to eradicate the Aedes Aegypti mosquito.

The Ministry of Health said yesterday that all the cases to date are on the Grenadine island of Bequia.

Chikungunya is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected Aedes Aegypti mosquito, resulting in fever and severe joint pain. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash.

Persons experiencing such signs and symptoms are strongly advised to establish contact with their health care provider, the ministry said.

The illness was first detected in the Caribbean in December 2013, in St Martin, and Antigua and St Vincent and the Grenadines are the latest countries to declare an outbreak.

The head of the CARPHA, Dr James Hospedales, has said the chikungunya virus has reached epidemic proportions in the Caribbean.

“By definition this is an epidemic since it represents an unusual number of cases of this problem where we would never have it before,” he told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

Hospedales said that as of April 28, there were 4,108 cases in 14 countries across the region.

The Ministry of Heath here said that the Insect Vector Control Unit would intensify vector control activities, including fogging operations on Bequia.

“Professionals within the Ministry will continue to participate in interactive programmes on radio stations and conduct educational sessions in various communities on the mainland and also on the Grenadine islands to build awareness of the threat of the disease and how it can be controlled and prevented,” said Luis de Shong, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/More-cases-of-chikungunya-reported-in-St-Vincent_16585400

Dengue mosquito population reduced by 79% in Jacobina, Bahia, using Oxitec solution  

CAMPINAS, Brazil/PRNewswire/ — A project taking place in Jacobina, Bahia has again shown the effectiveness of the Oxitec OX513A mosquito in reducing the dengue mosquito population.

Led by the social organisation Moscamed, the project showed that releases of the genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (OX513A) reduced by 79% the wild dengue mosquito population after six months. The results obtained in the neighbourhood of Pedra Branca protected about 1,500 residents from the bite of the dengue mosquito.

The city of Jacobina, which has about 50 thousand inhabitants, started a field demonstration using the Oxitec mosquito in June 2013, under permit from CTNBio (National Technical Commission on Biosafety). “The work in the neighbourhood of Pedra Branca will now enter the phase called ‘clean-up’. In the next six months Moscamed will release Oxitec mosquitoes at a lower rate with the intention of reinforcing the suppression. After this period they will continue monitoring the wild mosquitoes in the area and also make small releases with the objective of preventing a ressurgence of mosquitoes. At the same time, releases of Oxitec mosquitoes will start in adjacent neighbourhoods, expanding the area protected against the dengue mosquito” confirmed Dr Andrew McKemey, Head of Field Operations at Oxitec.

The results obtained are consistent with previous evaluations, carried out in the Itaberaba and Mandacaru neighbourhoods of Juazeiro, also in Bahia, and in the Cayman Islands. In Itaberaba, the reduction in the population of wild adult Aedes aegypti, after the releases, was 81%; in Mandacaru 93%; in the Cayman Isles, 82%. “The latest results confirm that continued release of the Oxitec mosquito can be highly effective in the reduction of dengue mosquito populations, offering a real hope to thousands of people threatened by the transmission of disease”, added McKemey.

The President of Moscamed, Dr Aldo Malavasi, confirmed that the Oxitec method is an important tool for the control of the dengue mosquito. “Brazil has one of the highest incidences of dengue in the world. We are pioneers in the use of this innovative approach because we urgently need new tools to control the dengue mosquito, which is growing exponentially despite the efforts to control it with conventional means.”

Before releasing Oxitec mosquitoes, Moscamed carried out a programme of community engagement, explaining to residents in the area what the mosquito is. “The local residents are supportive and favourable to the work that is being done. The local population understands better than any one of us the threat respresented by the dengue mosquito, so it is extremely encouraging to see that this new solution can offer a real hope for all the people who live in the shadow of this disease”, added Malavasi.

About Oxitec Ltd.

Oxitec is a pioneer in controlling insects that spread disease and damage crops. It was formed in 2002 as a ‘spin-out’ from Oxford University (England).

The technology developed by Oxitec creates genetically modified insects whose males are unable to have viable offspring after mating with wild females. This builds upon the use of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), which for more than 50 years has used irradiation to sterilize male insects to control or even eliminate populations of pest insects.

Oxitec’s first products are for the control of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito species primarily responsible for transmitting dengue fever, and Mediterranean fruit fly, one of the world’s most damaging agricultural pests.

Sites: http://www.oxitec.com and http://www.oxitec.com.br

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/oxitec

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/oxitec

About Moscamed

Moscamed is a leading exponent of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), an environmentally friendly and proven technique to control insect pests. Moscamed provide both monitoring services and carry out SIT programmes for the control of fruit flies in Brazil. The studies are funded by Secretary of Health and Secretary of Science and Technology of State of Bahia.

Site: http://www.moscamed.org.br

Additional notes for press

There is no vaccine or treatment for dengue.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the main vector of dengue, a disease affecting about 390 million people per year worldwide, that causes various symptoms and which can lead to death in the most serious cases.

The dengue mosquito is known for being difficult to control; the conventional methods currently in use have been demonstrated to be inadequate to prevent the transmission of disease.

SOURCE Oxitec Ltd.