Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis suggested a more aggressive approach be taken to prevent transmission of the Zika virus, as its effects during pregnancy can eventually take a toll on the healthcare system.
"In a case like this, one has to be very, very aggressive because unlike dengue, you're talking about neurological deficits which can become a financial burden on the healthcare system for life," Minnis said on Tuesday.
"You may find individuals who may not be able to cope with such type infants and therefore leave the infants within the healthcare system. They may abandon them or just leave. That is an additional cost to the taxpayers.
"You have to be proactive. Not only does it affect newborns, but it affects others in terms of neurological disorders."
Health Minister Dr. Perry Gomez announced on Monday that there have been confirmed cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an uncommon illness of the nervous system in which a person's own immune system damages the nerve cells causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis.
After the first case was concerned on August 10, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Glen Beneby said officials are urging the public to be concerned, but not panicked.
When asked if The Bahamas would be able to handle a possible outbreak of the virus, he said, "We can only focus on prevention, because we can only handle within our resources."
On Monday, health officials confirmed four cases of Zika in New Providence and some 83 suspected cases throughout the country.
Though officials say they have sought to lessen local transmission through intense vector control and mosquito management, Minnis, a former minister of health, believes more needs to be done to prevent an outbreak.
"I think the government has to inform the people and keep them abreast about their progress, at the same time not to frighten the populace, but to ensure them that everything has been done to prevent it not only in New Providence, but the Family Islands as well," he said.
"The government knows which areas from previous matters which have high Aedes aegypti mosquito content and so those matters must be aggressively handled."
Minnis referenced methods used by his team to constantly speak with the public during the dengue fever outbreak in 2011.
He said similar initiatives should be carried out now that the country is faced with Zika.
"We went to the various areas and had town meetings to inform communities of the danger of dengue at the time and told them what to do to get rid of the mosquitos, etc," he said.
"I think once the country has a definite understanding they know how important it is for them to remove the old tires or buckets, et cetera, because that can represent them having a neurological deficit, lead to death or cause them to have a child born with a small head."
Zika virus is primarily transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito.
It can also be transmitted through unprotected sex and from mother to baby during pregnancy, or around the birth.
Officials are advising couples to practice safe sex, especially those who are pregnant.
Of the 83 suspected cases, most were found in the Carmichael and Pinewood areas.
Officials from the Department of Environmental Health said they are fogging the areas among others, nightly.
Jayme C. Pinder, Guardian Staff Reporter
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