Trinidad : A 61-year-old woman has become the first confirmed victim of the Zika virus in Trinidad and Tobago which declared a national public health emergency as a result of the threat of the virus late last month.
Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh said confirmation of the infection came yesterday afternoon from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
“She first presented with symptoms on February 10 and the sample sent to CARPHA for testing on February 12. It takes a few days to get the results so Trinidad and Tobago has it first official case of Zika,” he told reporters during a Rapid Response Unit mosquito eradication exercise.
Deyalsingh said the woman recently travelled to New Zealand, although noting that country had no confirmed cases of the virus.
“The way in which she acquired the virus will now be investigated. Her area will be looked at, and she will be looked at to make sure she has recovered properly from the virus,” he said.
Since Deyalsingh announced a national public health emergency on January 29, mosquito eradication exercises across the twin-island republic have been intensified, in an effort to eliminate the Aedes aegypti vector that transmits the virus.
But the Health Minister stressed yesterday that citizens also had to play their part by getting rid of mosquito breeding sites around the places they live, work and visit.
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