Health Minister Moses Jn Baptiste says Saint Lucia is continuing to closely monitor the evolving hantavirus situation currently attracting international attention, while assuring the public that there is no indication the island faces a high risk of an outbreak at this time.
Speaking during the May 11 edition of the pre-cabinet press conference, Jn Baptiste explained that hantavirus is a serious illness transmitted primarily through infected rodents.
“The hantavirus, as we know, is a group of viruses which is carried by rodents,” the minister stated. “And we know that hantaviruses can cause severe disease in humans.”
He explained that transmission can occur through exposure to infected rodents or their bodily waste.
“People get infected through contact with infected rodents, either they drop in the urine or saliva or direct contact,” he said.
Jn Baptiste noted that hantaviruses are capable of causing severe respiratory illnesses and, in some cases, fatalities.
“We also know that hantaviruses can cause severe respiratory illnesses and there can be fatalities, as we’ve seen in an international case, which is ongoing at this time,” he explained.
The minister added that some strains of the virus can also lead to hemorrhagic fever.
“In some cases, we also know that the hantavirus can also cause hemorrhagic fever, and this has been found in South America and also in other European countries,” he said.
He further pointed to the Andes virus as one of the strains known for human-to-human transmission.
“We know that the Andes virus is the one which is known for human-to-human transmission and has been documented, the human-to-human transmission has been documented in Europe, Asia, and so forth,” Jn Baptiste stated.
The minister said the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition continues to monitor reports linked to a hantavirus outbreak associated with a cruise ship in the Atlantic.
“There are some fatalities and the World Health Organization has issued several statements about the hantavirus outbreak in the Atlantic on the cruise ship,” he noted.
As a tourism-dependent nation, the Minister says the government has protocols in place to address potential health threats arriving through cruise vessels, according to the minister.
“The Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition continues to monitor the situation, and we have protocols in place for the reporting of incidents like this on cruise ships,” he said.
“As we know, we are a tourist destination and we have protocols in place when there is any respiratory, whether when we have symptoms of possible respiratory illness, there are protocols where the management of the ships would indicate to health officials in Saint Lucia what the situation is and our health officials will act according to the protocols that are in place.”
Jn Baptiste stressed that current information suggests the outbreak remains contained.
“We do not have any information which suggests that the hantavirus outbreak is spreading widely,” he stated. “All of the information suggests that the outbreak is being contained as we speak.”
“However, we can never be too certain with viruses and outbreaks, and therefore we continue to monitor the situation.”
The minister also addressed reports of a bedbug infestation at the Dr. Betty Wells Urban Polyclinic.
He disclosed that the Environmental Health Division conducted an assessment of the urgent care areas on May 8 following complaints from staff members.
“The findings reveal the presence of bedbugs in two locations in the urgent care area,” Jn Baptiste confirmed.
He said immediate steps were taken to address the issue.
“The Environmental Health Division has taken action, and measures have been initiated to eradicate the bedbugs at the locations that have been identified,” he explained.
“In addition, general deep cleaning of the entire area has been done, and more work will be done over the next few days.”
According to the minister, remediation efforts were carried out throughout the weekend.
“Work was done on Saturday, May 9th and Sunday, May 10th,” he said.
Jn Baptiste assured healthcare workers and the public that the ministry takes such reports seriously and responds promptly whenever concerns arise at medical institutions.
“Whenever we get reports of any problem at our wellness centers, our teams at environmental health and other teams in the ministry move in to ensure that we take care of the issues,” he stated.
“I will certainly promise the people of St. Lucia and also in particular the workers at the various medical institutions in St. Lucia that anytime those reports reach the ministry, we do take it very seriously.”
The minister acknowledged that there had been reports in the past involving rodents and pests at healthcare facilities and said authorities continue to investigate and respond accordingly.
“The Dr. Betty Wells Urban Polyclinic was closed over the weekend and right now I know the officials are currently assessing the situation to ensure that all other wellness centers are checked and the environmental health division is continuing to do that search,” he said.
Jn Baptiste concluded by encouraging citizens to maintain clean surroundings in order to minimize the spread of pests and rodents.
“It is for me as Minister for Health, Wellness and Nutrition to advise all residents, all Saint Lucians to ensure that we take all precautions to cause our own environments to be clean and free of whether it be rodents and pests and so on,” he said.