SUVA, Fiji, Sept 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Fiji recorded more than 2,500 cases of dengue fever, so far this year, with one death reported by the Ministry of Health.
Fijian Minister for Health and Medical Services, Ifereimi Waqainabete, said today that, dengue is a worrying disease as it not only poses a threat to all Fijians but also to the tourism industry.
With a rapid rise in dengue fever around the world, more than a hundred countries and regions have reported the epidemic, he said, adding that, dengue in Fiji is not a new disease as it was first recorded in 1885.
“We’ve also had several epidemics in between. One of the largest was in 1998-1999, when we had 13,000 Fijians infected and we lost about 13 people. The other big epidemic was in 2012-2013 and 2014-2015 when we’ve had 16 deaths. Last year, we had two deaths from dengue,” said the minister.
“So we’re beginning to see that even though around the world dengue is causing a lot of mobility and mortality we’ve been able to control the mortality locally and also the mobility.”
Last year, the island nation reported nine deaths and 4,000 cases of dengue fever.– NNN-AGENCIES
