Health officials yesterday confirmed four cases of Zika in New Providence.
Of the 83 suspected cases found throughout The Bahamas, officials say eight are pregnant women.
"On the 10 of August, the first case was reported," said Health Minister Dr. Perry Gomez at a press conference. "Since that time, we have received notification of three additional cases. All cases sought medical attention after having symptoms suggestive of Zika virus infection. All patients have been treated for associated symptoms and are doing well."
Two of the confirmed cases are women and the other two are men.
None of the confirmed cases are pregnant women.
Gomez said based on the histories received from the cases, it has been determined that "there is a mix of travel associated and local transmission". He called the issue "an enormous challenge for The Bahamas". The minister said because of the new confirmed cases, the entire country is set to be labeled as a Zika hot spot. This can pose a problem for the tourism industry.
"I was informed this morning that ... a travel advisory would be issued against The Bahamas sometime today if it has not already been done," Gomez said.
"I thought it was a little unfair to say 'The Bahamas', because we've only had Zika in New Providence. We are an archipelago of 130 inhabited islands. It's not scientific to say the entire Bahamas at this moment in time, but there you are, that's how it is."
So far, Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued a level two alert for the country warning pregnant women and women planning to become pregnant about travel to The Bahamas.
Under the CDC's three-tier system, a level one travel warning urges vigilance and health precautions, level two calls for a high degree of caution and strong protective measures and level three advises against travel to or from a specified destination.
Health officials say they are doing all that they can to prevent an outbreak through intense vector control and mosquito management.
Director of Public Health Dr. Pearl McMillan said officials are unable to say exactly where the two people who were infected while traveling had traveled to. She said officials are still awaiting the results of the suspected cases, most of which were found in the Carmichael and Pinewood areas.
"Based on our case definition with the 83 suspected cases, samples will be taken and sent off to a reference lab and based on review of the history that we would have provided and all of the information we send out with each sample, then the lab may or may not test every case and once they get a confirmed case, of course, they will then send it back to us," McMillan said.
The wait time for results depends on whether the samples are tested in reference laboratories abroad or locally.
"We have our reference laboratory, but in the private sector they can be sent to other reference laboratories as well," McMillan said. "So the turn around has been a week or two weeks. Hence, us not waiting on confirmed cases to do what is required as it relates to the environmental monitoring and treatments."
McMillan was unable to say how many cases they are waiting the results for.
Officials have stressed the importance of prevention.
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.
Gomez said,"We wish to remind the general public that Zika virus infection is of major concern due to the confirmed association between infection in pregnancy and birth defects such as microcephaly, an abnormally small head in babies.
"There have also 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."
Jayme C. Pinder, Guardian Staff Reporter
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