NZ Ministry of Health issues dengue fever warning for travellers to the Pacific

A spike in dengue fever cases has prompted the Ministry of Health to issue a warning to people travelling to the Pacific, to take steps to avoid mosquito bites by covering up.

Earlier this year the Ministry launched a social media and online campaign to raise more awareness about the diseases mosquitoes in some countries can carry. 

It was prompted by recent outbreaks of dengue at the time, mainly in Auckland, among travellers returning from the Pacific.

The Ministry of Health reports that from August last year through to March this year, 263 dengue cases were reported in New Zealand, with 222 believed to have been acquired in the Pacific Islands. 

This includes 162 in Samoa, 30 in Tonga, 24 in Fiji, one in American Samoa and one in Vanuatu.

During that period 169 people were hospitalised.