On Friday, Prefect of Guadeloupe, Jacques Billant announced that a Zika epidemic was officially declared on the island group in the southern Caribbean Sea, according to LeMonde report (computer translated).
“We are witnessing in recent weeks to dynamic acceleration of the spread of the virus, this is why I decided to go in an epidemic phase,” said the magistrate.
To date, more than 2000 suspected and confirmed cases have been reported and the number of cases have increased steadily during the past month.
Thirty of the 32 municipalities on the island groups have been affected as more than 400 cases were laboratory confirmed. 16 cases were in pregnant women.
Officials have not reported any microcephaly or Guillain-Barré syndrome outcomes; however, a myelitis case was identified.
160 community health prevention officers have been recruited to improve the public’s education, with a particular focus on pregnant women.
According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), as of Apr, 28, more than 250,000 suspected and confirmed Zika virus cases have been reported in the Americas.
Related:
- Zika history: A timeline to a public health crisis
- Zika in the US: ‘Threat of local outbreak likely’, according to Fauci
- Zika virus: Rapid mutations allowed virus to spread swiftly around the globe suggests UCLA researchers
- Zika virus: Male-to-male sexual transmission documented
- CDC concludes: Zika causes microcephaly
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