By Wendellyn C. Mateo
The Pacific region is seeing an alarming rise in suspected dengue cases, with numbers climbing to more than 18,000 according to data released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the month of July.
This comes as Samoa confirmed the death of a second child with dengue this year, taking the number of reported dengue-related deaths in the region to nine, as other nations in the region grapple with surging numbers.
Numbers highest since 2016
WHO Pacific Technical Support director Mark Jacobs said they saw a “gradual increase” in dengue in the Pacific in the last few decades.
“But looking at the last 10 years, what we tend to see is peaks in some years and then lower levels in other years”, he was quoted as saying by Radio New Zealand.
However, this year they saw suspected cases reach more than 18,000 – the highest in the past 10 years – with 12,040 of them being laboratory-confirmed cases.
Jacobs attributed the high case numbers to several factors, such as the movement of people between Pacific nations.
There is also climate change and shifting weather patterns that increase the risk of dengue spreading, alongside a lack of understanding about dengue hot spots.
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Dengue enters more Pacific societies
The spread of dengue is particularly high in Fiji as per the breakdown of the WHO July data, and is then followed by Tonga and French Polynesia.
While numbers appeared to peak in March, there had been a resurgence in recent months, with the virus finding its way to previously unaffected nations like American Samoa, Nauru and Tuvalu.
Samoa’s acting director-general of health Tagaloa Robert Thomsen said they were spraying areas where mosquitoes tend to fester to fight dengue, including in schools and sites like the Victim Support centre and National University of Samoa.
“Our biggest challenge at the moment… is the paediatric age group – children below 15 years of age. [They] appear to be the ones that are mostly affected”, Thomsen said.
Tongan authorities launched in May the Intra-Action Review to identify best practices, challenges and corrective measures in the nation’s response to the dengue outbreak with support from WHO.
Health workers and officials from relevant sectors gathered for the national review – described by Ofa Tukia, Director of Public Health from Tonga’s Ministry of Health, as a golden opportunity to help strengthen Tonga’s dengue response, according to a WHO press release.
Tonga is now working to limit the spread of the virus through hands-on patient care, effective surveillance, mosquito breeding control and community engagement.
“By taking these simple but powerful steps, communities play a direct role in preventing new infections and protecting themselves”, WHO Country Liaison Officer to Tonga Anup Gurung said.
“We will continue working closely with Tonga to empower local communities and frontline health workers with tools, knowledge and supplies driving an effective dengue response.”
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