A year after the first reported case of Chikungunya in January 2014 the Ministry of
Health and Environment has declared the Chikungunya epidemic officially over as of January 23rd 2015.
In an interview with Chief Medical Officer, Dr. David Johnson on Thursday February 26th he explained that although the outbreak is over that does not mean that there are no cases on 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 clarified that this doesn’t mean that there is no Chikungunya at all on the island. The authorities have not seen any new documented cases for over 42 days.
He says as result of the assistance given to Dominica during that time, one year later the Ministry of Health can declare the island outbreak-free.
“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.
The Chief Medical Officer noted that the disease spread quickly since this was the island’s first contact with Chikungunya.
He is nevertheless pleased that the outbreak is over.
