Marshall Islands succeeding at keeping Zika at bay

7:30 pm on 11 April 2016

The Marshall Islands has kept the Zika virus at bay since the first confirmed case was documented at the beginning of February.

Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands

Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands Photo: RNZ

The Ministry of Health says although there are suspected cases, none have yet been confirmed as Zika, and no suspected cases were identified over the past two weeks.

The government declared a health state of emergency in late February.

The latest update shows there were 18 "possible" and four "probable" cases since the confirmed case.

The outbreak was triggered by a traveler who fell ill in November after a three-week stay in Majuro and was later tested in Australia.

32 people later showed Zika-like symptoms after expanded surveillance began at the end of January.

Since a state of health emergency was declared, cleaning to remove rubbish where mosquitoes can spawn has been ongoing.

The current drought has produced one upside, there being little standing water for breeding mosquitoes.

Spraying homes of pregnant women to rid them of mosquitoes is scheduled to start this week.

The ministry distributed 160 information and mosquito prevention kits throughout Majuro.

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