United States: Puerto Rico Zika virus epidemic declared over June 6

Event

The Puerto Rican Ministry of Health officially declared the end of the Zika virus epidemic on June 6. The announcement was made following a substantial drop in transmission rates since the beginning of the year. Only ten new cases have been reported in Puerto Rico since the beginning of April 2017 (as of June 6), compared to the 8000 cases reported during the epidemic’s peak in the month of August 2016.

Context

The Puerto Rican Ministry of Health officially declared the end of the Zika virus epidemic on Tuesday, June 6. The announcement was made following a substantial drop in transmission rates since the beginning of the year. Only ten new cases have been reported since the beginning of April 2017 (as of JuWhile the Zika virus in itself is usually relatively benign (and asymptomatic in approximately 80 percent of cases), links between the Zika virus and severe birth defects as well as the potentially fatal neurological disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), have been established. When symptoms do occur they generally appear two to seven days following contraction of the disease, and include fever, headache (behind the eyes), conjunctivitis, rash, vomiting, and muscle and joint pain. The disease is also transmittable via sexual intercourse.

A total of 40,330 cases have been confirmed on the island since the beginning of the outbreak on 2016, including five fatalities, 52 cases of GBS, and 38 cases of birth defects.
ne 6), compared to the 8000 cases reported during the epidemic’s peak in the month of August 2016.

Advice

As the risk of contracting Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases is still present, individuals in Puerto Rico are advised to take measures to protect themselves from mosquito bites (e.g. by wearing covering clothing, using insect repellent, and sleeping in a screened-in or air conditioned room).