St. Maarten/St. Martin Remains Safe for Travelers
PHILIPSBURG:--- Precautionary measures have been initiated by the Dutch country of St. Maarten to mitigate the mosquito population on island as a result of several cases of the Chikungunya virus being reported in St. Martin.
The Health and Tourism Ministries are working closely with the French Side authorities of the island to eliminate the risk. Preventative measures have included emergency mosquito fogging both near the Dutch/French border and throughout the entire island. The Minister of Public Health Hon. Cornelius de Weever is also encouraging residents on island to take action by removing potential mosquito breeding spots around their premises on a daily basis.
Additional interventions include training of the Ministry of Public Health Vector Control Team, placing physicians on alert, increasing public health surveillance for Chikungunya, yard-to-yard inspections, daily public announcements are being made, cautionary banners and posters are being placed in public locations to notify the residents and visitors at large on the preventative measures to be taken.
The Government authorities are adhering to the guidelines and regulations of the WHO, PAHO, RIVM & CDC to prevent the spreading of this disease and protect the residents and visitors of this island.
Hon. Minister of Tourism and Transportation (with responsible for the airport and port) Mr. Ted Richardson has also join in the Chikungunya prevention campaign, by requesting the Tourism sector partners, especially both ports of entry to be vigilant and alert in protecting their employees and guests/visitors to the island.
"We are asking all taxi/bus drivers, restaurants, properties, car rentals agencies, stores and attractions to have mosquito repellent readily available in their establishments for their guests, particularly during dawn & dusk" periods.
"It is safe to travel to St. Maarten/St. Martin and we do encourage our visitors to come to the island. While on the island, visitors can help protect themselves by using mosquito repellent on hands, face, feet (parts of the body that are exposed), wear long sleeves shirts and pants/skirts especially during the high risks times (dawn & dust). Preventative posters will be placed at both ports of entry and providing information to our visitors.
St. Maarten's Ministry of Public Health has been actively engaging with the public since 2012 to reduce the risk of these outbreaks with Hon. Cornelius de Weever's "Get Checked" campaign, which encourages residents and businesses to check in and around their establishments to reduce breeding sites.
Special pre-cautionary measures are undertaken in collaboration with French St. Martin, given the fact that they have been placed on a Level:1 Watch by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the lowest notice level by the agency, which advises travelers to the destination to follow usual insect precautions.
Chikungunya is an illness caused by a virus that spreads through mosquito bites. The most common symptoms of Chikungunya are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling or rash.