Above: Dominica (CJ Photo)
By the Caribbean Journal staff
One Caribbean island is showing success in the regional fight against chikungunya.
Dominica’s Ministry of Health and Environment has declared the Chikungunya epidemic “officially over” as of Jan. 23.
Chief Medical Officer Dr David Johnson cautioned, though, that although the outbreak is over, it does not mean that there are no cases on the island.
“The World Health Organisation uses a standard which indicates that if after two maximum incubation periods, there are no new cases reported then once can officially declare that the outbreak is over,” he said.
Having said that, Johnson said there had been no new documented cases for 42 days.
“Some countries in the region are still grappling with Chikungunya. I think because of the proactive action taken by the Ministry of Health, stakeholders and the Dominican population, we were able to control the outbreak,” he said.