MHES and PHD Update Public Health Travel Advisory

The Ministry of Health, Environment and Sustainability (MHES) and the Public Health Department (PHD) are updating the November Public Health Travel Advisory following reports of increased incidence of arboviral infections within the Caribbean region and other Central and South American nations.

“Arboviral infections are mosquito-borne illnesses, such as dengue, chikungunya, oropouche and zika,” explains Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hilary Wolf. “Our teams at both the Ministry and Public Health Department have been monitoring the situation within the region, and given recent reports by PAHO of increased cases of arboviral infections in Cuba, we felt it necessary to update our public health travel advisory to ensure that travellers are equipped with the information they need to keep themselves safe while abroad.”

On 25 November, MHES issued a public health travel advisory to highlight growing concerns relating to an outbreak of leptospirosis in Jamaica following the passing of Hurricane Melissa.  That advisory is now being updated to also include arboviral infections, and goes into effect from today until 30 January 2025.

“Persons travelling to Cuba, Jamaica, Brazil, Panama, Honduras and Costa Rica need to practice enhanced precautions due to the increased risk of arboviral infections in these countries at this time both while they are travelling and when they return home,” Dr. Wolf continues.  “It is important that people are both aware of and are proactively taking steps to minimise their chances of exposure.”

Arboviral infections in this region are transmitted primarily through the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (dengue, chikungunya and zika), Aedes albopictus mosquitoes (chikungunya and zika), and Culicoides paraensis biting midges (oropouche). Recommended precautions to prevent bites include:

• wearing protective clothing that covers as much of the body as possible

• using mosquito repellents containing at least 50% DEET;

• using window screens and/or mosquito nets;

• limiting the access of mosquitoes to an egg-laying habitat such as stagnant water that may be in plant pots or storage containers around the home.

Those who are returning from those destinations need to be aware of the symptoms of arboviral infections, which can occur 3-15 days after infection. 

“Symptoms of dengue, chikungunya, zika and oropouche are similar” explains Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Samuel Williams-Rodriguez.  “The most important takeaway is that a presentation of a high fever with one other symptom is enough for a recommendation for testing, so we urge those who are presenting with symptoms to take the free test.”

Symptoms of arboviral infections include:

• high fever (sometimes onset is abrupt)

• rash (can be blotchy, raised or flat, and may cover large areas of the body)

• headache (can be severe)

• nausea and vomiting

• muscle and joint pain (may also include swelling)

• other symptoms can include:

  • diarrhoea

  • fatigue

  • blood in faeces or urine

  • swollen glands

  • bleeding gums or nose

“To date, there have been no confirmed cases of any arboviral infection in the Cayman Islands for 2025,” Dr. Williams-Rodriguez adds. “However, as always, Public Health remains ready by having testing capacity at the Cayman Islands Molecular Biology Laboratory (CIMBL), free of charge to patients, as well as guidance for clinicians and the general public.”

For more information, or to learn more about free testing, contact the Public Health Department on 244-2889 or 244-2621.

Click here for the full advisory.