St Lucia confirms first case of chikungunya disease

[Gert van der Hoek]

Ministry of Health on active search for cases of chickungunya virus, one suspected case so far

HERMISHA ROLLE, SNO Reporter - Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014

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Chief Epidemiologist Nahum Jn Baptiste told Saint Lucia News Online (SNO) that one suspected case emerged over the weekend however it has not been confirmed since tests results have to be sent to Trinidad for confirmation.

“As part of our protocol we are testing both for dengue and for Chickungunya,” he said.

Jn Baptiste said while there are no special measures being employed at the island’s ports of entry as a result of the chikungunya alert, routine surveillance is being done for such communicable diseases on a daily basis, as required under the international health regulations.

St Lucia News Online

thanks to TY from ProMED

worldatlas

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: St Lucia: 1 suspected case of chikungunya

Re: St Lucia: 1 suspected case of chikungunya

Monday, February 17, 2014


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Saint Lucia’s Acting Epidemiologist Nahum Jn Baptiste says the Ministry of Health has a sound surveillance system in place and is now focusing on increasing testing for the virus.

As part of its protocol, the Ministry is testing for both Dengue and Chikungunya. There have been no confirmed cases of Chickunguyna, locally. Jn Baptiste says the search for cases will begin in earnest this week.

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HTS News Channel 4

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: St Lucia: 3 suspected cases of chikungunya

Re: St Lucia: 3 suspected cases of chikungunya

St Lucia Star

Sat, 15 Mar 2014

Is Chikungunya A Major Concern For Saint Lucians?


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We also spoke to Nahum Jn Baptiste, Chief Epidemiologist for the Ministry of Health. “We have not received the results from the Caribbean Health Public Agency as yet. We have submitted three suspect cases of chikungunya to the Caribbean Health Public Agency, because we do not have the capacity to do the chikungunya test here in Saint Lucia. We have not gotten confirmation on the cases as yet because normally that would take about two weeks. I think with the fact that there have been outbreaks in some of the other Caribbean countries, we may have been put on the back burner,” said Jn Baptiste.

He went on to confirm that the three cases suspected for chikungunya were submitted last week and that these were the first set of suspected cases that they have had.

“Based on the symptoms, some of the cases we have had, persons are not presenting with the classic joint pain. So what we do when we have a negative dengue with the joint pain, we submit it to the Caribbean Health Public Agency. So its only three suspect cases have been found so far.”

Jn Baptiste continued: “Truth be told, we started to actually actively look for it last week. So we’ve sensitized our doctors, hospital staff and surveillance staff so they are actively looking for symptoms and signs of the illness as of last week. But we will definitely be strengthening our surveillance because we realize now that there has been an outbreak in Martinique and Dominica to a certain extent. The first suspected case in January was not confirmed chikungunya.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: St Lucia: 3 suspected cases of chikungunya

Re: St Lucia: 3 suspected cases of chikungunya

The article in the Jamaica Observer mentions 500 cases and 81 confirmations: this relates to Dominica, not to St Lucia:
computertranslation from an other source: El Nacional

The head of Health of Dominica, David Johnson, explained in a statement that there have been 81 confirmed cases, but there are more than five hundred more suspicious of this virus,

See also: Government of Saint Lucia


St Lucia records first case of chikungunya disease

Wednesday, April 02, 2014

CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) -- St. Lucia has recorded its first case of the mosquito-borne disease, chikungunya.

However, the national epidemiologists in the Ministry of Health, Nehum Jn Baptiste, said the authorities were urging the public not to panic.

“We do not want to create any panic. It is because of our efforts with respect to strengthening the surveillance that we are now able to detect much quicker, not only chikungunya but dengue, leptospirosis and some of the other diseases that present with similar symptoms,” Jn Baptiste said.

Symptoms include a sudden high fever, severe pain in the wrists, ankles or knuckles, muscle pain, headache, nausea, and rash. Joint pain and stiffness are more common with chikungunya than with dengue. The symptoms appear between four to seven days after the bite of an infected mosquito. The majority of clinical signs and symptoms last three to 10 days, but joint pain may persist longer. Severe cases requiring hospitalisation are rare.

The first case of the disease in the Caribbean was reported in the French island of St. Martin last year. Since then it has spread to several countries with Dominica Tuesday urging nationals to adhere to measures to prevent the spread of the chikungunya disease on the island.

Chief Medical Officer Dr David Johnson said that while there were 81 confirmed cases, more than 500 suspected cases were also being dealt with.

“So far we have confirmed 81 cases and the confirmation I refer to is laboratory confirmation…but these are not all the persons who have the disease. There are a lot more persons who are presented with the disease.

“In fact the numbers that we have so far indicate that we have over 550 suspected cases. So in addition to the 81 confirmed cases…we also have a number of other suspected cases,” he said.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health here said that given the trends of inter-island travel, it has adopted a proactive stance in anticipation of this disease surfacing here.

“Everyone is vulnerable. I want to take this opportunity to reactivate, re-alert, re-sensitise persons with respect to reducing the source of breeding for those mosquitoes.

“The message that we have been constantly speaking to the public with respect to controlling the dengue fever it’s the same control measures that we need to have with respect to chikungunya,” Jn Baptiste said.

Jamaica Observer