NOUMÉA, New Caledonia (3 Dec 2008) — The number of reported cases of serotype four dengue fever, a form of the virus that was until recently not prevalent in New Caledonia, continues to rise in the northern part of the main island of the French Pacific territory, local media report. A first type four case (found on a person who had not been traveling recently in the Pacific region, where Fiji is particularly affected with well over two thousand cases) was detected last month, prompting local health authorities to express concern at a combined epidemic of the already prevalent serotype 1 of the mosquito-borne disease. The other seven, more recent cases, were also found in the past few days on persons living in the suburbs of the Northern town of Koné, near the Melanesian village of Baco. They include three confirmed cases of the serotype four while the serotype of the other four remains to be analyzed. Health authorities said this was a clear sign that the disease was now beginning to spread on a local, not imported basis. Over one thousand cases of the serotype 1 dengue fever have already been diagnosed in New Caledonia since the beginning of this year. Pasteur Institute virologist Dr. Aurélie Guigon warned last month the main issue at stake was that although people in New Caledonia were now relatively immune to the Type 1 dengue fever, which has been present constantly in the French Pacific territory, it was not the case for Type 4. "If the Type 4 was to propagate, it would affect more people compared to the Type 1", she stressed. "The problem is that this virus has not circulated in New Caledonia, in epidemic mode, for about thirty years. Since last month, New Caledonia has also stepped up its vigilance system with a systematic screening of all passengers arriving at the Nouméa-La Tontouta international airport. The key tool is a state of the art heat-sensitive camera filming all arriving passengers, with a special focus on flights coming from neighboring countries currently affected by type four dengue fever epidemics. The heat-sensitive camera, based on infrared technology, is monitoring all passengers in order to determine unusually high body temperature. When the remotely detected temperature exceeds 37.5 degrees Celsius, the arriving passenger, regardless on whether he is a local resident of a visiting foreigner, is then approached by health agents. | | Health officials in New Caledonia fear a new epidemic of deadly serotype four dengue fever. Over 1,000 cases of type 1 dengue fever have been diagnosed this year. He is then asked to fill in a form that will provide for a free dengue blood test at the local Pasteur medical institute. Another copy of the same form is also simultaneously transmitted to the suspected passenger's place of residence, where local authorities are then asked to activate a targeted insecticide spraying campaign. New Caledonia has also stepped up its awareness campaign, in order to reinforce its message to the population. While earlier media and television spots were stressing the need to clean up all potential mosquito breeding sites (still waters contained in old pots, tires, gutters, bushy areas in compounds), to use mosquito nets, personal repellents and wear long sleeves, the new message is banking on the fear factor. Since last month, in the latest and to date most graphic spot, viewers can see a person die of dengue fever in hospital, surrounded by powerless doctors. The punch line ending the message is, "Dengue too can kill you." Report by Carmen Sanchez, CDNN Travel News Editor |
