Even as Public Health continues to deal with an outbreak of chickenpox among Cubans detained under the care of CBC, interim Chief Medical Officer Dr. Autilia Newton says a community outbreak is unlikely given Cayman’s successful childhood vaccination programme.
However she is recommending those who are “very vulnerable” and may not have had the chickenpox vaccine to do so as a precaution.
Newton, while speaking on the Cayman Compass Facebook show The Resh Hour on Wednesday evening, said Cayman introduced the vaccination for chickenpox in the children’s vaccination schedule some years back and that has had a “very good effect”.
“In the past, before the vaccine was introduced, you had a number of cases of chickenpox every year,” she said, now however those cases have substantially reduced.
Previously, she said, Cayman would record 700 plus cases, mostly amongst children, before vaccination was implemented. Following that, she said, in a normal population, by the time that people reach their 20s or 30s, 90% of them will have antibodies even without the vaccination.
“Most people will get that exposure and they will get antibodies etc. The issue here is that, if you are extremely vulnerable, these are people who are really severely immunocompromised, so let’s say like you have cancer and you are doing your chemo treatment, it would be worthwhile to check whether you have antibodies. If not, then you get the vaccination. But these are really very extreme conditions,” she advised.
Cubans’ chickenpox situation managed
Newton said the chickenpox situation with Cubans is being managed.
“Obviously it is a population which is more vulnerable to chickenpox, simply because, in Cuba they don’t have the vaccination in the schedule for children. So you tend to have more outbreaks – exactly as it was in Cayman before [the vaccine] was introduced,” she said.
At present, she said, there were 20 cases of chickenpox being treated among the Cubans.
Last week some of the Cubans held at the detention centre in George Town opted to pitch tents on the exterior of the compound to keep from contracting the virus from those who were infected inside.
They pleaded to be moved from the centre, however Customs and Border Control said no other accommodations were available to house them.
The CBC told the Compass that Public Health has advised that the Cubans “cannot be allowed to mix” with the wider community nor would separating them be feasible as they were already exposed to the contagious virus.
Newton, speaking on the issue, added that there are measures which have been put in place to contain the spread and prevent exposure to the population.
However she said because of Cayman’s childhood vaccination regime the community is “less vulnerable” or prone to outbreaks.
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