Belize is officially NOT Zika free anymore: the Ministry of Health has confirmed the first case of Zika. In a release it states "…Of the samples sent to CARPHA thus far, one positive result was received last week". This sample was taken from a Belize City woman who went to the KHMH with flu symptoms. She was released after the sample was taken. This evening when we spoke to Director of Health Services Dr. Marvin Manzanero, he told us that they are not sure how the woman got Zika because she didn't travel anywhere recently or before she got sick so, they are trying to establish all the links in this case. Manzanero told us that there are no outbreaks in the city near to where the woman lives. He told us that the woman has left the country but that she and her family were notified about the results. Manzanero stresses that the Ministry will continue to do their community clean ups, their country wide heightened surveillance and their investigation into this first Zika case.
In terms of the health release it ends by saying "The Ministry will continue to be actively engaged with the community to minimize impact and we continue to ask the community to do everything possible to assist the Ministry...to reduce mosquito breeding sites such as discarding buckets, old tires and other containers that may hold water". As we have reported, ZIKA is associated with a serious birth called micro-cephaly, where newborns have abnormally small heads and under-developed brains.
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