STAR-BULLETIN / 2001 Paul Nielsen of the Environmental Management Division went door to door around the Hauula area in November to educate folks about the dangers of dengue fever and how to prevent it.

TV documentary looks
at isles' dengue outbreak

Producers were drawn to the
way the state handled the epidemic

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By Gary T. Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.com

WAILUKU >> Lights, camera, dengue fever!

A television crew for a new Discovery Health Channel series is on Maui to produce a one-hour episode about the dengue fever outbreak in Hawaii. The episode will appear as part of an upcoming series titled "Diagnosis Unknown."

"It's a brand-new series," said Adam Law, researcher in charge of the dengue fever episode.

New Dominion Pictures LLC, the company producing the new series, has already created a couple of televised documentary dramas, including the "FBI Files."

Law said the producers were attracted to re-creating the dengue fever outbreak because of the way the government and community effectively responded to the crisis.

"They actually were able to stop the outbreak with preventative measures and getting the community involved," he said. "It's interesting to learn how people deal with an outbreak."

Health officials note while the epidemic is over, Hawaii is on the fringe of dengue fever outbreaks in other countries, including the Philippines, Thailand and French Polynesia.

The virus, passed on from a contaminated mosquito to a human being, cannot be spread directly from one human to another.

Symptoms of the virus include a sudden high fever, headache, sore bones and a rash.

While the dengue outbreak in Hawaii began in June 2001 with cases reported in Hana, news of the epidemic came out in late September and adversely affected Maui's visitor industry, which was already reeling from a post-Sept. 11 tourism slump.

In December the state hired temporary workers on the four major islands to search for and clear out debris that would allow dengue fever-bearing mosquitoes to breed -- a program that alleviated post-Sept. 11 unemployment and helped to slow the spread of dengue.

Maui County Mayor James "Kimo" Apana instituted a free pickup service for residents to clear their properties of trash, appliances and vehicles that might hold standing water.

State health officials declared the outbreak over in May.

While 119 cases of the fever were confirmed in Hawaii, there were no fatalities.

Law said the crew began shooting on Monday and has interviewed Apana and state health officials in Honolulu.

Besides the three-person crew, about 20 people have been hired to help the crew or work as extras.

Maui resident Bruce Stoner and his family consented to help in the re-creation of the epidemic that centered in the Hana district.

"They've been great," Law said.

In an earlier interview, Stoner described the disease as feeling "flattened, like someone dropped a safe on you. ... Even a thought is excruciating."

Law said producers are looking at airing the documentary in the fall but are not sure about the exact date at this time.