Chikungunya rising rapidly in Barbados

(Barbados Nation) The number of Barbadians coming down with chikungunya is rising rapidly as Government confirms 40 people have been infected while another 130 cases are “under investigation”.

A release yesterday from the Ministry of Health said that while there had been reports of increases in the number of patients seeking medical attention with symptoms, no deaths had been associated with the virus.

The first case of chikungunya recorded in Barbados was on June 3, in a visitor who had travelled from another Caribbean country, the statement disclosed.

The Ministry of Health has advised the public to “practise simple control methods to protect themselves from being bitten by the mosquitoes which transmit chikungunya”.

These include spraying inside their homes with insecticide to kill adult mosquitoes, inspecting their premises to eliminate all potential mosquito breeding sites, using insect repellent on their skins, and wearing light-coloured long pants and long-sleeved shirts.