Now you have heard what the Ministry's plan is to address Zika and the other health complications associated with the virus, but what can you do to protect yourself from getting infected? That was the main message of today's meeting. Health Surveillance Representative Dr. Natalia Largaespada- Beer told us that the public also holds the responsibility to prevent the spread of the virus.
Dr. Natalia Largaespada-Beer, MCH Survellance
"One of the take home messages, to team that was at the meeting earlier, the planning session is prevention. There is nothing we can do once a person is bitten by the mosquito with the zika virus. But there is a lot we can do to prevent that to happen."
"For pregnant women, what we are recommending is, or women that wants to become pregnant, the recommendations are to use clothing that can cover the majority of the body parts during the day and in the night. To avoid being bitten by the mosquitoes, the use of repellents. There are specific names of repellents that persons need to look at. Keep the yard clean. That is nothing new. We have to keep the yards free to breeding sites. Use of bed net. Not only in the night. It is recommended now if you take a nap in the day, sleep under a bed net to avoid being bitten by these mosquitoes that circulate during the day. And most importantly for women and for their partners or other family members - to avoid traveling to communities with confirmed case of active transmission of the zika virus."
Again, there has been no confirmed case of Zika in Belize - and the results of the 2 remaining samples that were sent to CARPHA should be in by Friday. To be safe, those who develop a fever, other flu like symptoms and rash - somewhat similar to the symptoms of Dengue - should consult a doctor to be safe.
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