CitCo hosts Zika sensitization meeting

Aaron Humes: Officials from the Ministry of Health have met with members of the Belize City Council to sensitize them on the dangers of Zika. 

Mayor Darrell Bradley stated that this is part of the Council’s duty to residents to keep the City safe.

While nowhere in Belize has the virus, the country remains under threat. 28 countries in the Americas, Africa (Cape Verde) and Oceania (the Samoas) have reported active transmission and others have cases of persons who traveled to endemic areas and returned with the virus.

The Ministry still waits on results from two pending samples sent to the regional laboratory in Trinidad; a third was returned negative, and no other cases of interest have been reported since.

Zika is a cousin of chikungunya and dengue fever, and all are carried by the Aedes mosquitoes.

Symptoms include fever, rash, conjunctivitis, joint and muscle pain and headaches. Each is treated separately and

While the virus is not fatal and four in every five cases do not show symptoms outwardly, there is a threat to pregnant mothers whose babies are at risk for microcephaly and Guillain-Barre Syndrome, both developmental disabilities.

The Ministry continues to emphasize the wiping out of mosquitoes to prevent the virus from spreading.

 

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