ZIKA CONCERNS GROWING Caribbean hotels take protective measures

Posted on 01/29/2016

The World Health Organization warned Thursday that the Zika virus was “spreading explosively” in the Americas and that as many as four million people could be infected by the end of the year.

The global health agency will convene a special meeting on Monday to decide whether to declare a public health emergency. Since last spring, more than 20 countries have reported locally acquired cases of Zika, which is transmitted by mosquitoes and may cause birth defects. Speaking in Geneva, Dr. Margaret Chan, the director general of the W.H.O., said, “The level of alarm is extremely high.” The first local transmission of the Zika virus infection was reported in the Caribbean in December 2015. With the spread ongoing and no vaccine or treatment available, the virus has since been reported in 20 countries/territories in the Caribbean and Latin America. The Caribbean Public Health Agency, the Caribbean Tourism Organization and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) have worked together to issue guidelines for hoteliers to prevent and prepare for the virus. Hotels in the Caribbean are asked to educate their staff of the signs and symptoms of the Zika virus, how it is transmitted and how it can be prevented. • Insect repellent must be readily available, in every room and for purchase. • Water stored in outdoor containers can become mosquito breeding sites and must be covered. • Garbage also attracts mosquitos and should be contained within plastic bags in closed bins. • Stagnant water must be blocked from gutters and drains and screens should be installed on windows and doors. • In most people, symptoms of the virus are mild, including fever, headache, rash and possible pink eye. In fact, 80% of those infected never know they have the disease. • It appears that although everyone is susceptible to the virus, health officials identify a link between pregnant women who have been infected and the birth defect microcephaly. • Women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant are cautioned to sleep in air conditioned rooms, wear long sleeved shirts and pants (particularly at dusk) and apply insect repellent to skin that is exposed to the air.