Waipio Valley closed amid Hawaii island dengue fever outbreak
Hawaii island’s Waipi‘o Valley area is now closed as a precaution amid the ongoing dengue fever outbreak.
Hawaii County Civil Defense officials halted traffic along Waipi‘o Valley Access Road, starting at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. Until further notice, access will be limited to Waipi‘o Valley residents, according to a news release.
Also, Miloli‘i Beach Park remains closed. In addition, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources closed lands in the vicinity of Miloli‘i and Honomalino to all people except essential personnel and residents.
Since Friday, the state Department of Health has identified five new cases of locally acquired dengue fever, bringing Wednesday’s total to 215 cases.
Two people are potentially infectious, becoming symptomatic between Jan. 3 and Jan. 8, according to the Health Department. The remaining 213 cases are no longer infectious.
Of the confirmed Hawaii island cases, 195 are island residents and 20 are visitors.
While dengue is not endemic to Hawaii, it is intermittently imported from endemic areas by infected travelers.
The recent cases mark the first cluster of locally acquired dengue fever since the 2011 outbreak on Oahu, when four cases were confirmed.
Dengue is a viral infection spread via mosquitoes that bite an infected person and then carry the virus to the next person.
For more information about dengue fever, contact the Health Department, (808) 974-6001. Contact Civil Defense regarding concerns about mosquito habitat hazards, (808) 935-0031.
7 responses to “Waipio Valley closed amid Hawaii island dengue fever outbreak”
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Keep that HI5 program going so that the mosquitos have a place to breed.
Just wait until this news hits the tourist back home.
…they might think that a third world country has better living conditions than Hawaii.
I’ll bet the Waipio residents are enjoying their peace and solitude without a bunch of oogling, wandering itinerant tourists parading around the valley floor and over private property looking for the “traditional Hawaiian lifestyle”.
I’ll bet the Waipio residents woukd rather have tourist visit them then be a hot spot for Dengue fever which means many residents are currently suffering from the disease, which in a SA story a few weeks ago, is far from peaceful and can be incredibly painful and miserable for many.
I’m generally gender neutral … but not when it comes to blood sucking mosquitoes! fe fi fo fum …
But the Dept. of Health is still doing nothing.