Background
On February 1, 2016 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Zika virus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This designation is reserved for public health crises which will have global reach. The first case of zika virus in Jamaica was confirmed on January 29, 2016.
Cases of zika virus in Jamaica
As at June 25, 2016, the Ministry of Health received two thousand eight hundred and twenty five (2,825) notifications for the zika virus of which two thousand one hundred and thirty five (2,135) were suspected cases. Sixty seven percentage (67%) of that number fit the case definition for Zika and were classified as “Suspected Zika”.
Geographic spread
The highest number of suspected cases – seven hundred and forty nine (749) -was reported from Kingston and St. Andrew with the second largest number – six hundred and fifty one (651) reported from St. Catherine.
There are twenty four (24) confirmed cases. The confirmed cases were reported from the parishes of St Catherine (8), St Thomas (1), Clarendon (1) and Kingston & St. Andrew (12) and two (2) cases with unknown addresses.