Gov urges visits to Maui
despite fears of dengue

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By Gary T. Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.com

s HANA, Maui >> Gov. Ben Cayetano made his first trip as governor to Hana yesterday, wearing mosquito repellent and encouraging people to visit the rural East Maui area that has been in an economic slump since a dengue fever outbreak.

Cayetano said he was encouraged by a recent report of no new cases of dengue fever in Hana since Oct. 11.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health said yesterday there were no new cases reported anywhere in the state.

Manuel Amador, an official with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, also was encouraged that no recent cases have occurred in Hana, where 41 of the 59 confirmed dengue cases statewide have been reported.

"We think it is probably close to being over," said Amador, who noted his assessment did not include nearby Nahiku, which still has problems.

Asked what he would tell his relatives about Hana, Cayetano said: "I'd tell them to go. Just use your common sense. Just take some mosquito repellent."

Cayetano, state Health Director Bruce Anderson and other state officials arrived by helicopter at the Hana Airport around 9 a.m. yesterday.

The governor visited the Hana Community Health Center, homes in Hamoa and the Hotel Hana-Maui, where 30 employees were taking classes on how to eliminate mosquitoes and areas in which the insects breed.

He later spoke to a crowd of more than 75 people during a late-morning meeting before the Hana Business Council at the Plantation House.

Business owners said they felt adverse publicity about dengue had hurt them disproportionately, reducing revenues as much as 75 percent.

"I think the publicity has done more damage than the disease," said William H. Chang, a Hana businessman.

Cayetano said the state has several programs that could help Hana businesses, including the deferral of general excise taxes.

Cayetano said for all of its publicity, victims of dengue fever statewide have had no severe complications.

He noted that of the 59 confirmed cases, only one person was hospitalized.

Hana's rain forest usually attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and also has been a haven for mosquitoes.

The mosquito-borne virus was first reported here Sept. 12.

Maui Mayor James "Kimo" Apana said that in a recent cleanup in Hana, the county removed about 50 abandoned vehicles, three tons of trash and 2,000 tires.

Pesticides have been sprayed and breeding areas eliminated.

Residents said they were pleased with the mosquito cleanup.

Michael Woessner, a Hamoa resident who had dengue fever close to Labor Day, said after health workers sprayed areas around his house, he noticed a significant decrease in mosquitos.

"They did a great job," Woessner said.

Anderson said while state health officials were "holding their own" in fighting dengue on Maui, they are still worried about it spreading to other islands.