More blood specimens of suspected Zika cases were flown to Honolulu for confirmation of the mosquito borne virus on last night’s Hawaiian Air.
The blood samples sent out last night were drawn from pre natal cases of pregnant mothers.
This is the special target group that DOH is targeting because of the suspected link between the Zika virus and babies born with unusually small heads.
DOH received confirmation last Thursday morning of 4 Zika cases, out of 25 blood samples which were dispatched to Honolulu for testing.
One was a pregnant woman.
Pregnant mothers who have shown symptoms of the Zika virus such as rash, fever and joint pains at the ER , or community health center clinics are referred to the Primary Care Clinic .
Many members of the public have asked why DOH hasn’t announced the names of the villages where the four confirmed cases are form as well as the villages of the suspected cases.
Anesi says they are working on that and will soon release the mapping spread of the Zika virus in the territory.
At a press conference last Thursday, Medical Director at DOH Tamasoalii Dr. Joseph Tufa stressed that keeping the environment clean will make it impossible for mosquitoes that spread the Zika virus to breed.
No mosquitoes no Zika. Simple as that.
Dr. Tufa said from their observations there are people who are too lazy to clean up their yards which become breeding sites for mosquitoes.
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The Medical Director said there’s nothing in the law which says the Department of Health is responsible for cleaning up the community as some people assume.
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