The number of Hawaii island dengue fever cases reached three figures Wednesday as state and county officials continue their battle against the mosquito-borne disease.
Eight more adults were confirmed to have contracted the illness Wednesday, bringing the number of cases to 101, including 23 children and 78 adults, the state Department of Health said.
A new map of the outbreak identified cases all over the island, but the West Hawaii community of Captain Cook was identified as the area of greatest risk for potential infection.
Kailua-Kona, Naalehu, Hilo, Mountain View, Pahoa (and other areas in Puna) were identified as having a moderate risk.
Meanwhile, a top official with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is coming to Hawaii island to conduct an on-the-ground assessment of the state’s response to the dengue fever outbreak.
Dr. Lyle Petersen, director of the CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases in Fort Collins, Colo., will arrive Tuesday to observe firsthand how Hawaii officials are fighting the disease, which causes fever, severe headaches and flu-like symptoms.
He is expected to be on the island for a couple of days.
In addition, CDC entomologists are also scheduled to arrive next week to work with state entomologists on the Big Island over a two-week period.
Hawaii County spokesman Ilihia Gionson said local officials have been receiving technical advice from the CDC since the outbreak was discovered nearly a month ago.
“We’ve been in touch,” Gionson said. “This isn’t anything new.”
News of the CDC visit follows some intense lobbying from Hawaii island state legislators Sen. Josh Green (D, Naalehu-Kailua-Kona) and Rep. Richard Creagan, who wrote a letter last week to Gov. David Ige and state Health Director Dr. Virginia Pressler urging them to contact the CDC and the World Health Organization for an independent assessment.
Green, Creagan and other Big Island politicians have been critical of the state’s dengue fever response, saying the effort has not been aggressive enough.
“What they’re doing now clearly is not working,” Creagan (D, Naalehu-Captain Cook-Keauhou) said.
Dr. Sarah Park, state epidemiologist, has responded that her office not only has received ongoing technical support and advice from the CDC but also confirmation that the state is handling the outbreak properly.
Green and Creagan, both physicians, also blasted the state for sending veteran dengue fighter Dr. Lorrin Pang back to Maui, where he is that island’s state health officer.
Pang, a former WHO consultant who has treated dengue fever in Central and South America and Asia, led the battle against the 2001 outbreak on Maui, which saw 92 of the 122 cases recorded on three islands that year. Kauai and Oahu also experienced cases that year.
Pang, who walked lots of East Maui neighborhoods contacting potential victims in 2001, had been temporarily reassigned to Hawaii island a couple of weeks ago to assist with the outbreak response.
Green and Creagan said Pang was sent home for speaking his mind and for recommending stronger control measures than his bosses were calling for.
Pang could not be reached for comment, but Health Department spokeswoman Janice Okubo said the physician was sent back to Maui for no other reason than to continue overseeing the office he runs.
While spraying and treatment of areas continues daily, the CDC has posted a Hawaii dengue fever travel alert on its website.
On Monday the agency offered this advice on the official CDC Twitter account: “Traveling to Hawaii? Protect yourself from mosquito bites that can spread dengue.”
Some have simply decided not to take the chance. Three Oahu teams have backed out of playing at the Konawaena Winter Classic high school basketball tournament Dec. 3-5. They are Maryknoll School, Hawaii Baptist Academy and ‘Iolani School.
“What has started out as one of the state’s best preseason girls basketball tournaments has been decimated with teams withdrawing over concerns of the dengue fever,” Bill Trumbo, Konawaena High School athletic director, said in an email.
As for the visit by the CDC entomologists, Okubo said the department requested support from the federal agency to help identify the mosquitoes responsible for the outbreak, among other things.
Arriving next week will be CDC senior entomologists Ryan Hemme and technician Gilberto Felix, who will provide consultation and training to Hawaii state entomologists Jeomhee Hasty and Pingjun Yang.
The plan, Okubo said, is to launch an investigation to identify the mosquito species, compare mosquito trapping equipment and assess habitats that may be producing mosquitoes in and around buildings where confirmed cases were reported.
During the 2001 dengue fever outbreak on Maui, the CDC sent a team composed of two entomologists, five epidemiologists and an assistant to Hawaii. They were scattered across the island chain, offering assistance and expert guidance to health officials.
