KINGSTON, Jamaica — Although pregnant women are not among Jamaica’s 10 confirmed Zika virus cases, National Epidemiologist Dr Karen Webster-Kerr is reminding them to protect themselves from mosquito bites.
Speaking to OBSERVER ONLINE on Friday, Dr Webster-Kerr, who is sitting in for Chief Medical Officer Dr Winston De La Haye while he is off the island, urged pregnant women to visit their doctor if they develop symptoms.
“Pregnant women are reminded to protect themselves from mosquito bites,” Dr Webster–Kerr said. “If they develop a rash or a fever, they should visit their doctor or the health centre so that their blood can be taken for Zika testing.
“This visit should be within five days, preferably within three days of becoming ill, so that if they have Zika, it can be picked up by the test,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dr Webster–Kerr reminded that although there are 10 confirmed cases on the island, this number could just be the “tip of the iceberg”.
Dr Webster-Kerr had explained in April that the Zika virus, which is transmitted by an infected female Aedes aegypti mosquito, is new to Jamaica and that it is estimated that 50 to 70 per cent of the Jamaican population may become infected with the virus.
