A team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control will visit Hawaii island next week to assess the development of the dengue fever outbreak and review state and county efforts to contain the spread of the virus, Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said Tuesday night.
Oliveira said the county asked the CDC to come to the Big Island because the county wants a “third-party review” to determine the best way to proceed with the anti-dengue effort.
“Are there areas we could increase capacity or increase the amount of effort we’re putting forward, or are there areas that we haven’t even thought of, or are we doing everything spot-on?” Oliveira said. Local government officials want to take advantage of the CDC expertise, he said.
The number of confirmed cases crept upward by one additional case Tuesday to a total of 93 — 80 Hawaii island residents and 13 visitors.
About two dozen Puna residents gathered for a community meeting at Mountain View Elementary School on Tuesday night to hear an update on the outbreak and listen to advice from representatives from the state Department of Health and Hawaii County Civil Defense on how to avoid dengue infection.
Upper Puna resident Pam Jones, 53, said she would like to know more about exactly where on the island dengue cases have been confirmed.
“I don’t want to pinpoint my neighbor — the name and the address — but if we could have a better idea of where we need to really be careful, that would be really helpful,” she said. If there were a case reported near her home, Jones said, she would probably be more cautious about covering up when she walks her dog in the mornings.
One challenge in combating the virus is the very mobile population on the island. Most affordable housing on the island is in Hilo and Puna on the east side, while the employment centers are focused around the large resorts on the west side of the island. That means many residents are regularly required to cross the island to get to work and to return home, which can help to spread the mosquito-borne virus from the dengue hot spot on the west side.
Residents from other parts of the island also regularly travel to the Kona area for recreation or shopping, and Oliveira said social service providers explained to him that even homeless residents are mobile because they can readily hop on a county bus to cross the island.
With the number of infections now approaching a total of 100, “obviously, these are not all cases coming from Kona anymore,” said Jason Dela Cruz, public health educator with the state Department of Health.
That means it is critical for county residents to take steps detailed in the state’s “Fight the Bite” campaign to avoid infections, he said. “We are seeking help from all of you to assist us. We’re not going to be able to do this alone,” Dela Cruz said.
State officials say the outbreak probably began with a person who contracted the virus in another area of the world and brought it to Hawaii. Dengue fever is spread by infected mosquitoes and cannot be spread directly from person to person.
State and Civil Defense officials say the most effective way to reduce the spread of the virus is to minimize the chances of being bitten by an infected mosquito by wearing clothing that covers exposed skin and by using mosquito repellent.
Residents are also advised to avoid activities during the early morning and late afternoon in areas that are infested with mosquitoes because the insects feed during those hours.
People who become ill and have a fever should remain indoors to avoid being bitten and passing the virus on through infected mosquitoes.
The state Department of Health has also been spraying areas where there were confirmed dengue cases to kill mosquitoes, and health officials sprayed in both Hilo and Kona on Tuesday.
Some school campuses in Hilo and Kona have been treated for mosquitoes, including Konawaena High School last weekend, but state officials say there have been no cases directly linked to any school facilities or campuses. School campuses that have had confirmed cases in the area are being treated as a preventive measure, according to Civil Defense officials.
For more information about the dengue outbreak and how to prevent the spread of the virus, visit health.hawaii.gov or call the state Department of Health at 974-6001.
Additional community information meetings on the dengue outbreak are planned around the island. They include:
>> 6 p.m. Friday at the Ocean View Community Center in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates.
>> 6 p.m. Monday at the Waimea Middle School Cafeteria.
>> 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Kohala High School Cafeteria.
>> 6:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Pahoa High School Cafeteria.
