There are now 8 confirmed cases of Zika in the territory.
The additional four were confirmed in a second round of testing of blood samples in the first batch that was sent off island for testing two weeks ago.
The Department of health’s epidemiologist Scott Anesi says the second round of tests were conducted at Fort Collins, Colorado and included blood specimens for which tests in Honolulu were inconclusive.
That is the tests couldn’t differentiate between Zika and chik or dengue.
The symptoms of these three mosquito spread diseases are the similar: joint pains, fever, and fatigue. Zika has the added symptoms of body rash and redness of the eyes.
Lab analysis in Honolulu of the first batch of 25 blood samples that DOH sent out two weeks ago confirmed 4 Zika cases , one of whom was a pregnant woman.
None of the four new confirmed cases are expectant mothers.
DOH is working with pregnant women who are the special focus group for the multi department response to the Zika outbreak .
Anesi says they’ve collected data of pregnant women from LBJ Hospital, and the community health centers and are concentrating clean up efforts in the villages with the highest attach rate and highest number of expectant mothers.
The four are Leone, Nu’uuli, Tafuna and Iliili.
The next island wide clean up starts Wednesday and will be for three days.
There’s a major push to get rid of appliances, junk vehicles, discarded house hold appliances and containers that form an ideal breeding place for mosquitoes.
The clean up which will involve all government departments and agencies will also cover other villages.
The Office of Samoan Affairs discussed the clean up at a meeting today with Secretary Mauga Tasi Asuega, district governors, county chiefs and pulenuu.
Acting Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga was also present.
Anesi said there was discussion on how to sustain the clean up efforts so that people make it a habit to clean their surroundings all the time and stop accumulating trash, containers and discarded wastes in their yards., rather than wait until there’s an outbreak then act.
Authorities from DOH and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say its suspected that the virus is also transmitted through sexual means but not much has been said about that in the media awareness campaign of the Zika outbreak.
