Bermuda has had four imported cases of the mosquito-borne disease Chikungunya that has spread throughout the Caribbean, MPs were told during the Budget debate on Monday.

As of January 21, the Department of Health had reported three cases, saying that none had been transmitted locally.

Minister of Health, Seniors and Environment Jeanne Atherden warned the House of Assembly while speaking about Vector Control and Port Health that Bermuda must remain on its guard “because of the presence of the mosquito vector for Chikungunya, Aedes albopictus, is well established in Bermuda”.

“The scale of the Chikungunya outbreak in the Caribbean shows that it is not a disease to be taken lightly, as the joint pain can persist chronically in some sufferers,” she added. “Also, some countries were so afflicted, for example Jamaica, that school districts were known to be closed because there were so many cases and large parts of the population were bedridden.

“Vector Control continues to shine as a responsive and free service that aims to keep our Island mosquito and rat free, thereby protecting health and allowing us to enjoy our time outdoors.”

The Minister also reported that the salmonella mississippi pathogen ‘environmental reservoirs’ were feral chickens and feral pigeons.

The pathogen had been identified in Bermuda in gastrointestinal outbreaks, but it is not associated with the food chain, Ms Atherden said.

The Burden of Illness Study — which focused on gastrointestinal illness, and involved the Department of Conservation Services, BIOS and the University of Laval, Canada, working with the Department of Health to locate the environmental source of salmonella mississippi — discovered the link.

“Environmental reservoirs for salmonella mississippi were researched and found to be feral chickens and feral pigeons, which points to the need to keep these potential vectors of illness under control to prevent them from polluting drinking water catchments and tank water.

“It is also important to remind people to boil their tank water, especially if they are immune-compromised or using tank water to make up infant formula.

“Point-of-use treatment, including filtration and ultraviolet disinfection, form part of the Department of Health’s recommendations for assuring potable tank water supplies.”

The Minister said Bermuda’s tank water systems were an “important example of sustainable management and use of precious rainwater resource that many countries are envious of”.

“Environmental Health education stresses that catchments and tanks are open systems and heavy road traffic, and other pollution sources, make them vulnerable to pollution,” she added. “Existing health laws require that the sediment in the tank be cleaned out every six years.

“We must not be complacent and assume that our water tanks are maintenance-free, because they are not.”

Ms Atherton also reported on the Ebola threat, and said Port Health workshops last January had served as “good preparation” for the outbreak.

“The focus for 2014 was collaboration with the Department of Airport Operation to assure airport capacity for the oversight of the health of travellers, and the hygienic condition of aeroplanes, airports and commodities.

“Port Health workshops that were conducted in January 2014 with airport stakeholders served as good preparation for the summer’s Ebola outbreak in West Africa, though at the time it could not be foreseen that a public health event of international concern was brewing that would fast forward the department’s need to provide a port health presence at the airport, performing traveller screening and risk assessments.”

However, the Department of Health must strengthen its port health presence under international health regulations, she said

“The Department will do its best to meet our obligations at a time of shrinking human resources.”

• For full ministerial statement, click on the PDF file under “Related Media”.