Ja on alert for West Nile Virus

Junor (left) and Henry (right)

THE MINISTRY of Health is on heightened alert for the West Nile Virus (WNV), after a Cayman man was admitted to hospital last month with viral encephalitis, Health Minister John Junor told Parliament Tuesday.

"Should this diagnosis be laboratory confirmed, the proximity of the Cayman Islands to Jamaica means that the virus could arrive in Jamaica anytime soon," the Minister observed. He pointed out that the Cayman case was the first suspected in the Caribbean.

He was responding to questions from Mike Henry, Jamaica Labour Party Member of Parliament for Central Clarendon, on what measures were in place to identify and deal with the disease.

Mr. Junor explained that the un-usual mortality rate in the wild bird population was one of the best indicators used for tracking and projecting the arrival of the virus in a country. He said a local team has kept abreast of the cases in birds and humans in the region over the past two years. "We note that the virus has been moving east and south in the USA," Junor said.

A surveillance unit whose task it is to observe dead or dying birds and animals, especially horses, manifesting any unusual symptoms is already in place. Additionally, environmental wardens, horse breeders and trainers, veterinarians and veterinary field officers attached to the Ministry of Agriculture were alerted to report suspected cases and when warranted, submit samples to the Ministry for testing overseas. Members of the Birdlife Society have also pledged their assistance.

Human surveillance is normally used to detect severe cases of West Nile virus infection which presents itself as a fever and severe neurological manifestations such as meningitis and encephalitis. Since early 2000, all suspected cases of meningitis and encephalitis have been made class 1 notifiable diseases in Jamaica ­ they must be reported on suspicion within 24 hours to the parish health department and/or the surveillance unit.

This was reportedly done in respect to a case of St. Louis Encephalitis in a May Pen, Clarendon resident. Notifications are followed by investigation reports and laboratory confirmation is facilitated by the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC).

Since the virus can be spread by mosquitoes, the Ministry has taken steps to eradicate the pest. Adult Culex mosquitoes will be collected from all major drains that are breeding sites and send to CAREC for viral isolation to determine whether local species are infected with the virus. The collection will also be done in areas that are points of entry for migratory birds. Collection will be done quarterly from all parishes.

If there is confirmation that the virus is present in the Caribbean region, or in Jamaica, collection will be done monthly to determine the population of mosquito infested with the virus. The WNV is treated in much the same way as dengue haemorrhagic fever, dengue shock syndrome and malaria.

Meantime, CAREC, in collaboration with the Atlanta-based Centre for Disease Control (CDC), will conduct a workshop on WNV surveillance from January 14 - 18, 2002 at CAREC. Jamaica will be sending three participants.

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