From Cayman Islands Department Of Tourism

Statement re- Zika virus and effects on tourism

The Cayman Islands Ministry and Department of Tourism are aware of the news that two residents who returned home to our shores have contracted the Zika virus abroad.

These are the first two confirmed cases of Zika imported into the islands.

As global travel is a part of personal and business relations the key to managing any widespread impact in the Cayman Islands is preventative measures.

The Ministry and Department of Tourism with the public health authorities and other relevant agencies, continue to actively provide appropriate communication, education and prevention practices.

The accurate and timely reporting to the tourism sector is our top priority to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors.

The DOT continues the implementation of a robust year round marketing plan and will move into planning for 2017 marketing strategies this summer.

The Cayman Islands Department Of Tourism (CIDOT) will endeavor to fulfill our department’s mandate in attracting visitors to the Cayman Islands and is fully committed to deploy strategies to combat any negative impact to inbound travel to our islands.

END

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Note: This story was written and first published before the two confirmed cases in the Cayman Islands.

Zika Outbreak Prompts CDC Warning Pregnant Woman To Postpone Travel To S. America, Caribbean

By Jan Mabry From CBS SF Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — The Zika virus outbreak has prompted a travel alert urging pregnant women to postpone travel to 14 countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

The Centers for Disease Control issued a Level 2 health advisory on Friday. Pregnant women should avoid visiting places where transmission of the Zika virus is ongoing. The specific countries are: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Travelers who do visit these areas should practice ‘enhanced precautions’ which include:

Avoid mosquito bites
Wear long sleeves and pants, and use insect repellent
Use airconditioning and screens on doors and windows while indoors.

Zika virus infection during pregnancy can result in fetal loss, and infants born with abnormally small heads and undeveloped brains (microcephaly). Infected patients experience symptoms that include fever, rash, arthralgia or conjunctivitis.

According to the CDC, the Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes. About one in five infected people become ill. There is no vaccine, preventive drug, commercial test, or treatment for the disease.

Health officials in the United States and Canada have reported a number of Zika-infected travelers returning from countries grappling with the virus. The Public Health Agency of Canada has issued a similar warning to pregnant women.

The travel warning comes just months in advance of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Brazil, where there has been a significant number of babies born with birth defects after their mothers were exposed to the Zika virus.

More than a half million people are expected to attend the Olympics in August. Brazilian health officials say pregnant women should consult with their doctors before visiting. Meantime, city officials across the country are working with local hospitals and distributing flyers to inform the public about mosquito abatement. So far, the focus has been cities northeast Brazil, where most of the Zika-related infections and birth defects are concentrated.

CBSSF.com writer, producer Jan Mabry is also executive producer and host of The Bronze Report. She lives in Northern California

IMAGES:
A researcher looks at Aedes aegypti mosquitoes kept in a container at a lab of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the Sao Paulo University. (NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP/Getty Images)
A specialist fumigates the Nueva Esperanza graveyard in the outskirts of Lima (ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP/Getty Images)
Paolo Zanotto, researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Sao Paulo, speaks during a press conference at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the Sao Paulo University. (NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP/Getty Images)