In his declaration, he said the Yap State Department of Health Services identified an initial case of dengue fever in the state on Sept. 1, 2011.
As of Nov. 21, the department had identified 400 suspected cases, with 367 cases on the main island of Yap, 27 on Ulithi, 2 on Fais, 2 on Euripik, and 2 on Woleai.
Laboratory testing performed on blood samples sent to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed the presence of dengue virus type 2 in Yap, Anefal stated in his declaration.
He ordered the appropriate departments, offices, and agencies of the Yap state government to immediately develop a plan on how to utilize all available local resources to help address this dengue fever outbreak, reduce the risk of infection of the dengue virus, and facilitate community-wide cleanups to eradicate potential mosquito breeding grounds, which include standing water and shady areas.
Anefal at the same time requested the “prompt assistance” of the Federated States of Micronesia national government, the U.S. and “other international organizations to help address this emergency situation.”
Dengue fever is caused by any of four related viruses transmitted by mosquitoes, and results in symptoms that include high fever, body aches, joint pain, and sometimes pain behind the eyes, diarrhea and vomiting.
