Still No Confirmation of CHIK-V in Belize

Tonight, officials from the Ministry of Health are still anxiously awaiting the results of testing on four samples which were sent to Trinidad. The persons tested, all from the Las Flores area in Belmopan, have shown positive for Chikungunya using a rapid test, but that test is not considered absolute confirmation. Until there is some positive indication from the Caribbean Public Health Agency in Trinidad, the Ministry maintains that there are no confirmed cases of Chik-V in Belize. Late this evening, we spoke to officials in the Ministry who indicated that they anticipate those results by Friday morning. We were also told that following a mapping of the Las Flores Area, there are no new suspected cases of Chik-V.