Two pregnant women test positive for Zika virus
There have been so far 16 confirmed cases of the Zika virus, two of which involve pregnant women.
Speaking at a Zika virus press briefing yesterday, Minister of Health, Dr Christopher Tufton, revealed that, in addition to the 16 confirmed cases, 1,969 suspected cases of the Zika virus were reported to the Ministry of Health (MOH) as of May 29.
"Of these notifications, 1,387 fit the case definition for Zika and were classified as 'Suspected Zika fever'," Tufton said.
It was revealed that the highest number of suspected cases were from Kingston and St Andrew, with 465 cases; closely followed by St Catherine, with 405 cases. Of these 787 which were tested, 403 results have been received, but only 16 cases tested positive for the Zika virus. Meanwhile, another six preliminary positive results are now undergoing a second round of testing at University Hospital of the West Indies for confirmation.
CLOSE MONITORING
Two pregnant women were among the 16 persons that tested for the virus. The women are being monitored closely.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry is also advising the public of the outcomes of the virus, including the resultant disease of microcephaly and cases of Acute Flaccid Paralysis - under which Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) falls.
So far, there has been no confirmed case of microcephaly or GBS linked to Zika virus, the minister said.