By Christina Persico, RNZ Pacific Bulletin Editor and is republished with permission
Tonga’s Ministry of Health says total dengue fever cases in the kingdom have reached 215.
Photo: AFP / Sebastian Kaulitzki / Science Photo Library
In an update on Tuesday, the Ministry said 12 people were in hospital.
It says just over half of cases, 113, are from Vava’u, with 71 from Tongatapu and 31 from ‘Eua.
The youngest case is a seven-month old baby.
No deaths have been reported.
The ministry said there is ongoing case investigation and vector control in hotspot and high-risk areas, and a clean-up campaign continues in Vava’u in the Central District.
Meanwhile, Brumbies flanker Tuaina Taii Tualima was diagnosed with dengue fever after the Brumbies’ opening Super Rugby Pacific match against the Fijian Drua in Suva.
Tualima made his debut for the Canberra-based team in the clash in the Fijian capital on 15 February.
The Fiji Times reported the 27-year-old was a late withdrawal from the bench for the loss to the Western Force in round two of Super Rugby and was left out of the matchday squad for the defeat at the hands of the Chiefs in Hamilton.
In a statement, the Brumbies said the team took all preventative measures against mosquito-borne illnesses, but Tualima had become ill after catching dengue fever.
“The affected player has been diagnosed early and is receiving medical input from the team doctor and an infectious disease specialist,” the team said earlier this month.
Fiji’s Ministry of Health and Medical Services said the Lautoka/Yasawa Medical Subdivision team conducted a clean-up campaign and refuse collections in dengue hot spot areas late last month, including Matawalu village, Naimasi settlement, Vakabuli village and the Lovu seaside settlement.
Last month, the BBC reported authorities in one of the Philippines’ most densely-populated urban centres offered a cash reward for mosquitoes in an attempt to stop the spread of dengue.
