Health News

HEALTH OFFICIALS: Zika Virus Is Spreading ‘Explosively’ In The Americas
NEW YORK – A Long Island woman who recently traveled abroad is one of New York’s first confirmed cases of the Zika virus, which health officials say is spreading ”explosively” across the Americas. The news comes as U.S. officials are urging travelers to the Caribbean and Latin America, the Virgin

ZIKA VIRUS THREAT: If Cruise Lines And Airlines Bail On The USVI, What Next? Does Mapp Have A Plan?
MIAMI – Carnival, Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian cruise lines are allowing pregnant women to reschedule their journeys if they had booked a cruise to a destination where a Zika virus health warning is in effect. “Royal Caribbean will assist any pregnant women who do not feel comfortable sailing to countries

V.I. Health Officials Confirm First Case Of Zika Virus Discovered In St. Croix
Health’s Dr. Esther Ellis CHRISTIANSTED – The V.I. Department of Health said this morning that it has confirmed a case of the Zika virus in a 42-year-old St. Croix woman. The Department issued a media alert at 10:25 a.m. today stating that its chief epidemiologist Dr. Esther Ellis

Pregnant Women Who Traveled To Caribbean Or Latin America Urged To Get Tested For Zika Virus
SAN JUAN – If you’re pregnant and you’ve traveled to Latin America or the Caribbean, health professionals stongly suggest that you get tested for the Zika virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also asking pregnant women to avoid traveling to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean

CDC Asks State Health Departments To Report Confirmed Cases Of Zika Virus
Health’s Juan Figueroa-Serville V.I. Health Commissioner Juan Figueroa-Serville passed along the following communiqué from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta: In May 2015, the World Health Organization reported the first local transmission of Zika virus in the Western Hemisphere, with autochthonous (locally acquired)

CDC: Zika Virus Has Spread To Haiti; 15 Places Now Affected
Haiti’s Florence Duperval Guillaume PORT-AU-PRINCE – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning pregnant woman and others to be aware when traveling to countries where a new mosquito-borne illness — possibly linked to babies born with small, undeveloped brains in Brazil — has appeared. The

CDC Issues Travel Warning To Pregnant Women Over Zika Virus; Puerto Rico Cited
ATLANTA – As expected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel alert Friday evening, warning people about the risk of traveling to countries in the Americas affected by the Zika virus, a mosquito-born illness linked to an epidemic of birth defects in Brazil. Pregnant women should avoid

TOURISM STOPPER: CDC Could Issue Health Warning On Zika Virus Today
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Federal health officials are expected to make a decision either today or tomorrow on whether to warn pregnant women against travel to Caribbean and Latin American countries where the Zika virus has been confirmed. According to the New York Times, they’re considering the warning because of the

BERNHARD-NOCHT INSTITUTE: Zika Virus Can Be Spread By Sexual Contact
HAMBURG – A virologist at the Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Germany has suggested that Zika virus infection is the only vector-borne disease that may be transmitted by sexual intercourse. The first suggestion that you could get Zika virus infection from both a mosquito as well as a sexual

Swine Flu Death Toll Rises To Five In Trinidad As Disease Spreads To 46 People
Trinidad’s Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh PORT OF SPAIN – Swine flu (H1N1) has claimed its fifth victim in Trinidad and the government there says the number of confirmed cases has risen from 29 to 46, the Virgin Islands Free Press has learned. Trinidad and Tobago Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh confirmed