Although anecdotal reports have subsided, it appears that the chikungunya virus (ChikV) is not through with Jamaica yet, as health authorities have revealed that there were 39 new cases over the past two months. Two of the cases had onset dates in February. “CHIKV will now be endemic in Jamaica from here on and cases could develop from time to time,”Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Marion Bullock-DuCasse told the Jamaica Observer.

As at February 18, the National Surveillance Unit (NSU) processed a total of 4,979 notifications for the virus, which rocked the island during the summer of 2014 and through to year end.

DuCasse said the ministry had received notifications for 14 ChikV-related deaths up to February 19, but that they had not all been confirmed as such. “Two were confirmed positive, one has been confirmed negative. The others remain under investigation,” she said.

Health authorities insist that there had been no letting up on the public awareness campaign, saying: “The focus at this time is on vector control and the relapse phase where joint pains persist. The ministry has developed education material which has been distributed islandwide and community sensitisation continues through our network of health educators and technical resource persons who have conducted sensitisation sessions with schools, churches and businesses,” the acting CMO said.

In the meantime, local and regional health researchers are seeking to put a face to the ChikV outbreak in Jamaica, which has severely affected a large percentage of the population. The education sector in particular has felt the brunt of the mosquito-borne virus, forcing the government to close some schools and adjust the curriculum calendar, to compensate for the lost school days.

The virus, which first appeared in the Caribbean in December 2013, is transmitted to people by infected Aedes Egypti mosquitoes. The common symptoms of the debilitating illness are fever and joint pain, as well as headache, muscle pain, and joint swelling. There is no specific treatment or vaccine for the virus.

— Alphea Saunders