Photo: 123RF
The Cooks Islands is now dengue fever free, but other regions of the Pacific are still seeing cases.
Cases of dengue fever in Tonga have reached 66.
As of Monday, 25 May, two cases were hospitalised – one at Princess Fusipala Hospital in Ha’apai and one at Niu’eiki Hospital in ‘Eua.
No deaths have been reported in Tonga’s current outbreak.
Cases are also being reported this month in New Caledonia and Samoa, and in Futuna.
In the Cooks, 1251 cases were reported in the last outbreak, one of whom died.
Secretary for Health Bob Williams told Cook Islands News that the last positive case was recorded on 28 April.
Sunday marked 26 days since that case.
Williams said the 26-day period represents just over two incubation periods with no reported case, which meets the international standard to declare the outbreak over.
Liana Scott, president of the Cook Islands Tourism Industry Council, said the swift response played an important role in containing the situation, but warned that the dengue-free declaration “does not mean that we should become complacent”.
“Businesses and households should be encouraged to maintain grounds and potential [mosquito] breeding areas,” she said.
Meanwhile, larvae from a type of exotic mosquito that can carry diseases were found in downtown Auckland nearly two months ago.
New Zealand’s National Public Health Service had launched a surveillance and interception programme after the discovery of the aedes aegypti larvae in a trap near Queens wharf.
The mosquito breed could carry diseases including dengue fever, yellow fever, zika virus and chikungunya virus.
The service said exotic species were occasionally found at ports and airports.
It said the larvae was not considered a public health or biosecurity threat at the time because there was no indication they had become established.
