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UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 21ST FEBRUARY, 2016
MAKING OUR MARK
Dr. Christine Carrington
Professor of Molecular Genetics and Virology,
Faculty of Medical Sciences, UWI.
a. She presented a paper entitled ‘
Zika virus in the
Americas: A new challenge for Trinidad and Tobago’
b. She mentioned that ZIKV,
the causative agent of Zika
fever, is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that is currently
emerging in the Americas. The virus was first isolated
in 1947 in Uganda, and prior to 2015 outbreaks was
confined to Africa, Asia, andmore recentlyMicronesia.
In 2015 Brazil reported local transmission of ZIKV and
has now recordedmore than 1.5million cases.The virus
has recently spread to countries neighbouring Trinidad
and Tobago (T&T) including Venezuela, Guyana,
Suriname and Barbados, and has been reported in 21
countries including six Caribbean islands.
c.
Zika fever (which develops in about 25% of infected
individuals) is a short, self-limiting febrile illness with
severe complications but fatalities are rare. However,
there is evidence from the Brazilian outbreak to suggest
that the virus is associated with a more than 20-fold
increase in the number of cases of microcephaly
in newborns, as well as with a condition known as
Guillain-Barré syndrome.There is no specific treatment
or vaccine currently available for ZIKV,
so protection
against mosquito bites the best form of prevention.
Avoiding pregnancy during high risk periods has also
been recommended.
UWI leads discourse onH1N1 and ZikaViruses
Healthcare professionals and leaders from both the private and public sectors
convened on 31 January at the Teaching and Learning Complex, Lecture Theatre A, The
University of the West Indies (The UWI) for a medical symposium entitled ‘A Call to Arms against H1N1 (Swine Flu) and the Zika viruses.’ This symposium was hosted as
a joint effort between The UWI’s Faculty of Medical Science and The Ministry of Health. The one day symposium was intended to facilitate discussion and provide health
professionals with the facts needed to prepare them to manage the public health risks associated with the viruses.
Minister of Health, Terrence Deyalsingh brought remarks and Dr Rakhee Palekar, Feature Speaker, presented on the ‘Epidemiology of H1N1 Infections’. Dr Palekar is
Palekar is a medical epidemiologist on the influenza team of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Also speaking were Dr Clive Tilluckdharry, Chief Medical
Officer, Ministry of Health and the Dean of The UWI’s Faculty of Medical Science, Professor Terence Seemungal. Professor Seemungal led a slate of UWI experts and
medical practitioners who addressed the clinical aspects of the H1N1 and Zika diseases and facilitated a panel discussion on the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and control
of the viruses, mapping the way forward.
“The Zika virus (ZIKV) has not yet been detected locally but it is present in the Americas – Brazil and Puerto Rico - and though we are already faced with cases of the
pandemic influenza H1N1, it is preventable and manageable. There is however a great need for health professionals to be alert and prepared to act to prevent and manage
the viruses. The symposium is one of the ways that The UWI is owning its responsibility for providing information and guidance to the healthcare sector and the wider
community on health-related issues,” said Professor Terence Seemungal, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Science.
The following are highlights from the presentations made by members of The UWI medical faculty.
d. At the time of her presentation she noted that Zika
virus had not yet been reported in T&T. However,
given that (as elsewhere in the region),
Aedes aegypti
is
endemic and our local population is immunologically
naïve to ZIKV, it is surely only a matter of time before
transmission is confirmed in T&T. She discussed
the nature and origins of ZIKV, its epidemiology in
the Americas, factors underlying its emergence and
methods used for diagnosis. She also reviewed the
current evidence for its association with microcephaly
and Guillain-Barré syndrome, and the overall public
health implications.
e.
In reviewing
‘
Zika in the America’
she informed the
audience that Zika virus arrived in the Americas in
2015 with cases documented
Brazil and Colombia.
Largest ZIKV
outbreak in the Americas reported in
2015 in Brazil with 1.5 million cases. Cases have been
reported in 21 countries in the Americas and the first
case in the USA reported in Texas in 2016.
f.
Suggested that human activities may have contributed
to the emergence of ZIKV induced cases. These include
globalization and urbanization: rapid and extensive
global transport, increased populations in urban areas;
habitat destruction, forest encroachment, intensive
farming and other agricultural activities.
g. Dr Carrington summarized the impact of ZIKV as
being economic losses associated with morbidity,
decrease in tourism, serious conditions (microcephaly,
Guillain-Barré syndrome)
h. In Brazil, in 2015 alone there were approximately
3,500 (20
times
the usual number); Increase in cases
occurred within months after ZIKV being identified,
Virus detected in amniotic fluid in pregnant women
carrying microcephalic babies;
i.
Precautions suggested include:
Women encouraged to
delay pregnancy in some countries, travel warnings
issued for pregnant women, more research needed
to confirm link, determine most vulnerable period of
pregnancy and risk.
j.
Public health control measures: Since there is no known
vaccine or treatment, making mosquito control the key
measure.
k.
Mosquito control
suggested to include: Reducemosquito
population, reduce breeding sites, spraying, public
education, protection, bed nets, insect repellants, extra
care for pregnant women
Part of the packed house for the medical symposium entitled
A Call to Arms against H1N1 (Swine Flu) and the Zika Viruses
jointly hosted by The UWI and the Ministry of Health.
