Health Minister and Vice President Jules Ienfa said the new measures — which include an increased surveillance of possible new cases and a close monitoring of incoming passengers on international flights, by way of thermal cameras to detect unusual body temperature levels — come in the wake of the announcement of the first two cases of type 4 dengue fever.
Dengue fever is transmitted by mosquitoes.
Its early symptoms are fever, joint pains, headaches, nausea and in the later stages internal hemorrhage that can prove fatal if left untreated.
Ienfa stressed the best way to fight any propagation of the disease was to step up information campaigns advising the population on the need the clean up any potential mosquito breeding sites, such as old pots, cups, bushes that retain still waters.
Other measures include specific fumigation of identified areas and the population is also advised to use personal repellent, mosquito coils and mosquito nets in order to reduce as much as possible the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes carrying the virus.
Ienfa also recommended that any person presenting symptoms similar to dengue should immediately seek medical advice.
The situation was further aggravated by the current wet and humid season, which is also conducive to faster increases in the mosquito population.
Whole Pacific affected
Ienfa pointed out the two new cases in French Polynesia were found of persons who had recently returned from holidays in New Caledonia.
But he also stressed the risk could also come from neighboring Pacific countries which have been affected by dengue fever since last year, like Fiji (2,000+ cases in 2008, including a majority of Type 4 cases), Samoa, American Samoa and the Cook Islands.
The situation also remains worrying in New Caledonia, where over 1,100 cases of dengue fever (both types 1 and 4) have been detected in 2008, including one dead.
But towards the end of last year, new cases of the serotype 4 started to appear and in this other French Pacific community, prevention measures were also stepped up.
However, at the turn of the year, the epidemic remained unabated and has risen to a dramatic 110+ new cases since the beginning of this month.
Both in French Polynesia and New Caledonia, another major worry is that even though local populations are relatively used to and have become more resistant to the Type 1 dengue, the serotype 4 has not been common for over thirty years.
Hence the risk for individuals already infected with type 1 dengue to be particularly vulnerable to the type 4.
In the case of French Polynesia, this meant at least 150,000 inhabitants born or arrived there since the last Type 4 epidemic in 1979 had never been in contact with the virus and would therefore be particularly exposed, Ienfa warned.
“We’re expecting a complicated situation and fatalities are indeed likelihood,” he told reporters.
In Wallis and Futuna, the third French Pacific territory, the first case of dengue fever has also been announced at the weekend, prompting authorities to step up a prevention and awareness campaign, as well as targeted spraying in pre-identified areas.
The case there was also said to have been imported from New Caledonia, where over 20,000 persons originally from Wallis and Futuna reside permanently.
