The United States' Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday posted on its health page a travellers notice advising of the confirmed malaria cases in Great Exuma and the prevention measures to be taken.
But that notice also stresses that malaria transmission "does not normally occur in The Bahamas and that anti malarial drugs have not previously been recommended."
"All these confirmed infections were caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Most of the patients reported no recent travel to malaria-endemic areas, some of the residents may have recently traveled from Haiti where P. falciparum is endemic," the notice indicated.
In an interview with the Bahama Journal from the Atlanta-based agency, CDC spokesman, David Daigle said the Centre is basically doing two things – telling clinicians and public health agencies that the US should be alert to the possibility of malaria in travelers returning from Great Exuma.
At last report, there were 16 confirmed cases of malaria.
Officials say all of the victims were from George Town, Exuma.
Detainees and staff at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre are also being screened after several illegal immigrants were apprehended in Exuma last weekend and brought to the Centre.
On Friday, the Ministry of Health was still awaiting reports from the reading of 200 slides taken from persons residing or working on that island.
The CDC is recommending that persons traveling to Great Exuma consult with their physicians or health care providers for anti-malarial so they would recommend the best one.
Local health officials say five of the patients who have completed their treatment were discharged from hospital after being treated and responding favorably to chloroquine.
The patients are reportedly in good health and are expected to return to the Princess Margaret Hospital over the next few weeks to ensure no relapse.
However the CDC has also suggested that because antimalarial drugs are not 100 percent protective, travelers to Great Exuma should protect against mosquito bites.
It is the same advice Ministry of Health officials gave shortly after learning of the malaria cases.
The CDC also recommends that travellers visit their health care provider 4ﾖ6 weeks before travel for any necessary vaccinations, as well as a prescription for the antimalarial drug, if needed.
There are no vaccines against malaria. It is also recommended that the antimalarial drug be taken exactly on schedule without missing doses.
The CDC travellersﾒ notice also applauded the Ministry of Health for its heightened surveillance for and treatment of the malaria cases, mosquito control measures and the education of Bahamians.
"I think some great things are going on. We know that the Ministry is working with the Caribbean Epidemiology Center and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and that they are doing larvae sightings, spatial insecticide sprayings and getting rid of the areas where mosquitoes can breed and lay eggs," Mr. Daigle said.
"And so the right things are going on apparently. Those are the steps that we would typically take."
The CDC has agreed not to issue a travel alert for The Bahamas.
"This almost has to be an endemic case for such an alert to be issued, a lot more serious than what we are seeing right now," Mr. Daigle told the Bahama Journal.
By: Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
