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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
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 | A suspected case is any person admitted to hospital presenting with fever and severe neurological manifestations (varying from aseptic meningitis to encephalitis) of unknown aetiology. |
| A confirmed case is a suspected case with one of the following criteria: |
NB: Detection of WN virus-specific IgM and/or IgG (by EIA) antibody in a single serum or CSF specimen must be confirmed by any of the above techniques.
Hospital services should notify their local health authorities of all suspected cases.
An acute sample of serum or CSF (collected 0-5 days after onset) should be sent immediately in a Cold Box at 4º-8ºC to CAREC through the National Laboratory. A convalescent sample (collected 14-21 days after the acute specimen) should also be sent to CAREC. Paired specimens (serum or CSF) are necessary for diagnosis.
For questions concerning Epidemiological Surveillance, please contact Epidemiology Division, telephone 868-622-2152, CAREC-EPIDEMIOLOGY@carec.paho.org; and Virologist Dr. Rosa Alba Salas, phone 868-622-2324, salasros@carec.paho.org
Bird and Equine Surveillance: The objective of Veterinary Surveillance is to detect unusual mortality rate in Wild Bird Population and symptomatic cases of WN virus infection in horses.
| Veterinary Surveillance Departments and Wildlife Agencies will be requested to collect fresh carcasses (<48 hours old) of wild birds or horses in order to send it to the National Veterinary Reference Laboratory. |
| Brain and heart tissues will be harvested from these carcasses using standard Biosafety precautions for veterinary necropsy. Fresh tissues will be collected in separate, sealed containers and sent in a cold box to CAREC Laboratory Division. |
| Veterinary Surveillance Departments should investigate cases of horses with neurological manifestations and send serum specimens to CAREC, through their National Reference Laboratory, using the same procedures as for Human Surveillance. |
For questions concerning Veterinary Surveillance, please contact Dr. Rosa Alba Salas, telephone 868-622-2324,
salasros@carec.paho.org.
Mosquito Surveillance: The objective of Entomological Surveillance is to identify the presence of competent vectors in areas with high risk of WNV transmission and to detect the WNV in mosquitoes.
| Entomology Departments from Health and Agriculture Ministries would be requested to do Mosquito Surveys with emphasis in Culex spp. populations. The surveys will be focused in areas where suspected/confirmed human or animal cases were reported and in areas with a high risk of WNV transmission. |
| Mosquito Pools of Culex mosquitoes should be collected, using a gravid mosquito trap in which mature - previously blood-fed - mosquitoes would be attracted. In the absence of this type of trap, other trapping devices can be utilised. Pools of Culex spp. should be made at some 50 individuals of the same species - especially Cx quinquefasciatus or Cx nigripalpus. For virus isolation, the pools of mosquitoes should be stored in a frozen state - ideally at liquid nitrogen level. In the absence of this, mosquitoes should be maintained in a frozen state and sent in this manner to CAREC Laboratory for virus isolation. |
For questions concerning Entomological Surveillance, please contact Dr. Christian Frederickson , PhD, MPH, MPM, frederch@carec.paho.org .
Biosafety
: Universal precautions for animal necropsy must be used such as: personal protection (wearing protective clothing, gloves, face shields or eye protection), disposal of contaminated carcasses or specimens, and disinfection of all items after specimen processing.For storage and shipping specimens, please refer to WHO Biosafety Guidelines: http://www.who.int/emc-documents/biosafety/whoemc973c.html.
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Caribbean Epidemiology Centre Page last modified 01 October, 2001 |
