On Friday afternoon the Virgin Islands Department of Health announced that the territory’s second case of Zika virus has been confirmed in a 42-year-old man on St. Croix.
The new case comes exactly a month after the territory announced the first case in a woman on St. Croix.
Due to a surge in testing demand on the one lab that can do the confirmatory testing in Fort Collins, Colo., results are taking between three and four weeks to receive instead of the expected two.
According to Dan Baden, a physician for the Centers for Disease Control’s Zika Response Team based on St. Croix, the timeframe for receiving results has increased since there’s been a major uptick in sampling now that the CDC is urging both asymptomatic pregnant women and symptomatic patients to be tested.
Health officials expect more positive cases in the future as results come back from the CDC. A total of 61 samples have been sent from the territory for testing so far with 41 coming from St. Croix and 20 from St. Thomas.
There have been two positive cases on St. Croix and 11 results have come back negative.
“The Virgin Islands Department of Health is working with the CDC and our (emergency operations center) partners to get pertinent information to the public as soon as it develops. Our goal is to keep the public informed and educated about protecting their homes and families from the Zika virus, while minimizing the impact on the territory,” Deputy Commissioner of Health Kimberly Jones stated in a press release.
The V.I. Department of Health is partnering with several labs and clinics throughout the territory to provide free Zika virus testing. Pregnant women and people experiencing symptoms, including fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes, should seek medical advice about Zika virus testing.
On St. Croix:
– Beeston Hill Clinical Lab, 773-4990.
– Clinical Laboratory Inc. (Sunny Isle), 778-5369.
– Frederiksted Health Care, Inc., 772-0260.
– Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital & Medical Center,778-6311.
– Primary Care PLLC, 718-7788.
On St. John:
– Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center, 693-8900.
On St. Thomas:
– Community Medical Laboratory, 776-7444.
– Cranston/Dottin Biomedical Lab, 774-6256.
– Doctors Clinical Laboratory, 774-2760.
– Havensight Medical Laboratory, 774-5515.
– Roy Lester Schneider Hospital, 776-8311.
