Four New Cases Of Zika Confirmed On St. Croix; Total Climbs To 11

ST. CROIX — This week’s Zika update revealed that four new cases of the virus has been confirmed on this island, bringing the total to 11. There were no new cases of dengue.

“The Department of Health continues to test pregnant women without symptoms of Zika. As of this week, 358 samples have been received from pregnant women, of those 225 results are pending. Two were symptomatic and these were both confirmed as dengue,” stated Deputy Commissioner of Health Kimberly Jones in a press release issued on Tuesday.

D.O.H. says it continues to raise awareness and educate the community about Zika prevention and the D.O.H. response. This morning, Juan Figueroa-Serville, another deputy commissioner of D.O.H., Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) Communications Specialist Jessica Schindelar and Pastor Samuel Carrion, now employed in the Mapp administration as Liason to the faith-based community, were on Papi Love show Latino 91.9 f.m. to share important Zika prevention information with the Hispanic community, according to the release.

Acting Commissioner of Health Dr. Michelle Davis stressed the importance of individual actions that everyone can take to help prevent Zika virus.

“There is no vaccine to prevent Zika virus disease. The best way to prevent diseases spread by mosquitoes is to protect yourself and your family from mosquito bites,” Dr. Davis said.

Here’s how:

1. Wear clothes that cover as much of the body as possible, such as long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
2. Stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside.
3. Treat clothing and gear with permethrin.
4. Use a repellent with one of the following active ingredients:  DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or para-menthane-diol. This includes women who are pregnant and breastfeeding. See CDC’s website for a table of recommended active ingredients and their common names. We do not know the effectiveness of many natural insect repellents.
5. Eliminate standing water in and around the home to reduce mosquito breeding sites.

“See your doctor if you develop symptoms (fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes) of Zika as soon as possible. Seeking care early, within the first few days of experiencing symptoms, can aid in more rapid diagnosis,” added Ms. Jones. “If you are sick, it is also important to protect yourself and other from mosquito bites. During the first week of infection, Zika virus can be found in a person’s blood and can pass from an infected person to another mosquito through mosquito bites. An infected mosquito can then spread the virus to other people. To help prevent others from getting sick, avoid mosquito bites during the first week of illness by strictly following the steps above to prevent mosquito bites.”

For local information about Zika virus, call the Department of Health Emergency Operations Center at (340) 712-6205. For more general information about the Zika virus call toll free: 1-800-CDC-INFO.