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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Information Services Updates
FREEPORT, Grand Bahama - With just one confirmed case of Zika virus infection in New Providence, necessary precautions are already taking place in Grand Bahama. Chief Health Inspector of the Department of Environmental Health Services, Bertha McPhee-Duncanson, says although there are no confirmed cases of Zika in Grand Bahama, chances of people being infected by the virus are still there. As a result said the Chief Health Inspector: "We are working to decrease the population of the adult Aedes aegypti mosquito by fogging residential areas." She added, "So far we have begun fogging within the Eight Mile Rock district, but we intend to carry out the fogging process every morning throughout the whole island, weather permitting." McPhee-Duncanson noted that the Aedes aegypti is a domestic mosquito and residents must ensure that their homes and their immediate environment are protected in order to prevent breeding of the adult mosquito. Preventive measures include: avoiding mosquito bites by wearing clothing that covers as much of the body as possible, closing doors and windows, using insect repellent, removing water which can attract mosquitoes, and practicing safe sex by using condoms or abstaining from sexual activity throughout pregnancy. Zika virus infection is a mosquito-borne disease transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. However, if an individual is infected it can also be transmitted sexually. The country's first case of the virus was reported in a Bahamian man who recently visited Jamaica. However, the patient has been treated for related symptoms and is showing signs of improvement.
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