There are three new confirmed Zika cases here in the capital, this latest update being confirmed by the ministry of health’s website.

The total to 17 confirmed cases up from 14 at last report.

Now a growing concern in the wake of Hurricane Matthew was the possibility of an increase in mosquito breeding grounds caused by receding water left by the storm, The Journal spoke with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Glen Beneby on this development.

“We anticipated that there may have been a challenge due to the rise of Hurricane Matthew and as anticipated we received significant rainfall and so we’re just emphasizing the fact we need to be proactive.

“We’re going to continue to what we were doing to avoid environmental challenges such as water settling to avoid mosquitoes breeding,” Dr. Beneby said.

The Ministry of Health states that they continue to intensely monitor the situation with an active surveillance program within the department of public health.

Last month, Minister of Health Dr. Perry Gomez reported that there were some 83 suspected cases still under investigation by local health officials.

However, due to the risk of the virus being spread sexually, health officials have recommended the use of condoms, with a special warning being given to pregnant women to use protection while having sex or not engage in sex at all during pregnancy.

Last month, tourism minister Obie Wilchcombe said his ministry has ramped up its marketing machinery to convey the message that the Bahamas is doing all it can to guard against the spread of the virus.