2,436 new dengue fever cases recorded from 1st Jan - 23rd Feb nationwide

Fijians are being urged to continue to remain vigilant and take protective measures against dengue fever as the Health Ministry recorded over 2,000 new cases nationwide from January 1st to February 23rd this year.

The Health Ministry says 2,436 dengue cases were reported with the Western Division recording 1,411 cases, the Central Division reporting 559 cases, the Northern Division recording 419 cases, and the Eastern Division recording 47 cases.

The Ministry says the surge in dengue cases this year is attributed to the heavy rainfall and flooding that have impacted the country over the past months.

They say they have conducted and continue to conduct public health interventions in response to the dengue outbreak that was declared in the Western Division.

They add that the approach to ensuring effective interventions involves continuous house-to-house surveillance, larval sampling, application of larvicides to destroy mosquito larvae and adult mosquito spraying with the implementation of clean-up campaigns to remove and destroy mosquito breeding sites.

The Health teams continue to conduct health awareness programs to educate the general public on the necessary measures to prevent the spread and safeguard themselves from dengue fever.

The Ministry says additionally, the Environmental Health Officers continue to conduct site inspections and issue abatement notices and fine members of the public whose properties have the mere presence of mosquitoes in their compound which is an offence under the Public Health Act Cap 111.

They say these public health interventions are being conducted in all six subdivisions within the Western Division, and similar programs are conducted in the remaining three divisions as part of proactive measures.

The Health Ministry is encouraging the public to pay attention to advisories related to dengue and leptospirosis that have been communicated through various media platforms.

The Ministry is also encouraging individuals to educate themselves about dengue fever, implement preventive measures, and seek medical attention promptly if symptoms arise.