ZIKA GUIDELINES FOR HOTELS AND GUESTHOUSES IN THE CARIBBEAN

This document provides information on Zika (ZIKV) disease prevention and control measures for travellers coming to the Caribbean. This information is based on currently available scientific evidence and has been adapted and prepared for the Caribbean situation.

ZIKV is a mosquito-borne viral infection which is transmitted by the same Aedes aegypti mosquito which transmits dengue and chikungunya viruses 1. ZIKV was first detected in the Americas in 2014 and since then has spread to several other countries and territories. Since ZIKV is new to the Caribbean, almost everyone is susceptible to the infection. The most common symptoms of ZIKV infection are mild fever and skin rash, usually accompanied by conjunctivitis, muscle or joint pain, and general feeling of illness that begins 2-7 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. Symptoms are similar to those of dengue and chikungunya and can last 2- 7 days.

ZIKV cannot be transmitted by close or casual contact with an infected person (i.e., not person to person) or through the air, food or water.

What can Hotels and Guesthouses in the Caribbean do to Prevent and Prepare for Zika?

There is no vaccine or treatment available for ZIKV, so prevention measures are essential.

•   Stay informed about the ZIKV situation in your country, and in other Caribbean countries.

•   Provide staff and guests with information on ZIKV so that they are aware of the signs and symptoms, how ZIKV is transmitted and how it can be prevented.

•   Consider placing having insect repellents in every room, or having them available for purchase.

•   Avoid storing water in outdoor containers that can collect water to prevent them from becoming mosquito breeding sites.

•   Cover water tanks or reservoirs so that mosquitoes do not get in.

•   Avoid the build-up of garbage, which can act as a breeding site for mosquitoes. Put

  garbage in closed plastic bags and keep it in closed containers.

•   Uncover/unblock gutters and drains to release stagnant water.

•   Install mosquito screening on windows and doors to help reduce contact between

  mosquitoes and guests.
  Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), January, 2016 1

 Consider supplying guests with bed nets in areas where the sleeping quarters are exposed to the outdoors.

For more information on Zika (ZIKV) disease click here
Note: CARPHA will continue to evaluate new information as it becomes available, and will update this guidance

as needed.

REFERENCE

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Zika virus. Modified December 31, 2015. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/zika/index.html