Dengue Outbreak

While cases of dengue fever on Ebeye Island have dropped to a daily trickle, Majuro continues to see high numbers, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Health and Human Services.

President Hilda Heine signed the second one-month extension of the declaration of health emergency, which will see it extend to early November.

Ebeye is where the dengue outbreak started, with the first case reported in late May.

Of these cases, one was a visitor from French Polynesia with dengue type 3, while the others were dengue type 1.

The ministry said authorities have diagnosed four probable dengue cases this week, one of whom recently arrived from Fiji.

It is reminding the public keep home and work environments clean and to safely dispose of water-retaining containers; to avoid mosquito bites by covering up, using repellents and screen doors, and to see a doctor if fever, pain behind the eyes, or muscle aches develop.

Dr Eka Buadromo said the Ministry of Health has procured the new centrifuge from New Zealand after its own 40-year-old device broke down just as dengue fever started to escalate in Tonga at the end of last year.

She said the device was used to concentrate platelets so they can be transfused into patients with uncontrolled bleeding as a result of dengue fever.

Dr Buadromo said she was hoping the centrifuge will be flown from Auckland to Tonga in the next two or three days so that more effective treatment will be available.

John McCaffery said the family believed the outbreak of dengue was serious and that New Zealand should offer its help.

Kaniva News reports McCaffery is an uncle of Telefoni, who died in Vaiola hospital on 24 January.

“Tonga apparently  still has no laboratory facilities to do the required blood tests for dengue especially the close monitoring needed to know if the virus is going to advance to the critical life threatening stage,” McCafferey said.

Aupito William Sio was responding to the outbreak of dengue in Tonga where a New Zealand girl contracted the disease and died.

The 12-year-old had been visiting family in the kingdom.

Aupito has called for greater regional awareness about the risk of dengue, saying public health authorities have lots of information available internally.