Dengue fever HAIKU, Maui >> The number of suspected dengue fever cases statewide has grown to 116 with the virus possibly spreading from Maui to Kauai, Oahu and the Big Island.
cases rise to 116
The virus may have spread to
Kauai, Oahu and the Big IslandBy Gary T. Kubota and Helen Altonn
gkubota@starbulletin.com
haltonn@starbulletin.comJanice Okubo, state Department of Health spokesperson, said preliminary tests indicate four positive cases in Anahola, Kauai, and one in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. Another case is suspected in Kaaawa, Oahu, but hasn't undergone a rapid field test.
None of those patients has traveled out of state, indicating the cases were locally transmitted by mosquitoes.
The Centers for Disease Control dengue laboratory in Puerto Rico has confirmed 19 cases from East Maui out of 29 specimens tested.
Okubo said 91 additional suspected cases were under investigation as of noon yesterday.
Dr. Lorrin Pang, the state health administrator on Maui, said according to state tests, a Happy Valley woman and a Lahaina man contracted the virus without recently visiting either Hana, Nahiku or Haiku, where cases have been reported.
"These are all locally contracted," Pang said. "The bottom line is, you really don't know where are the hot areas."
Although the CDC has not confirmed recent cases, Pang is confident about the test results.
During an information meeting attended by more than 110 people at the Haiku Community Center last night, Pang called upon residents to take preventive measures, such as eliminating areas with stagnant water.
"What has been proven to work is clearing your breeding sites," he said.
Residents wanted to know in advance when the state sprayed pesticides near their home and whether the pesticide was safe. Pang said people would be notified in advance about the spraying and that the pesticide, a synthetic pyrethroid, was safe to human beings but toxic to fish.
Pang said cleaning mosquito-breeding areas would protect the public from dengue and other mosquito-transmitted diseases in the future.
High rainfall in Hana and Haiku has been a blessing to those who enjoy the lush greenery of east Maui.
But the rain could become a potential bane to tourism unless the battle against dengue fever is won quickly.
Both Hana and Haiku, with 83 and 65 inches of rainfall yearly, are among the wettest populated areas on Maui.
State health officials have suspended camping and closed roads in Hana leading to Kahanu Gardens and Wainapanapa State Park.
Officials today opened a "Dengue Information Center" from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Haiku Community Center.
Gov. Ben Cayetano has authorized state Health Director Bruce Anderson to use state employees from other islands and enlist the aid of the National Guard to combat the mosquito-borne virus.
According to health officials, a larvacide to spray breeding areas can be made by adding four to six ounces of liquid dishwashing detergent to one gallon of water.
Those contracting the virus are asked to contact their physicians and to use acetaminophen instead of aspirin for high fever.
The virus is contracted from a contaminated mosquito to a human being and cannot be spread directly from one human being to another.
Symptoms of the virus include a sudden high fever, headache, sore bones and a rash.
Complications in 5 percent of cases may lead to hemorrhaging in the nose and a loss of body fluids that could lead to shock and death, the state said.
Pang said in rare cases, people have complications but the vast majority survive without complications.