WHO declares dengue pandemic in Pacific region

Updated September 18, 2008 16:18:12

The World Health Organisation has declared a dengue pandemic in the Pacific region and is calling for a co-ordinated regional response to the situation. Thousands of cases of the virus have been confirmed and the number continues to rise.

Presenter: Barbara Heggen
Speakers: Dr Kevin Palmer, World Health Organisation's representative in Samoa

HEGGEN; Both New Caledonia and Kiribati have confirmed more than 700 cases of the mosquito born virus this year. In Samoa, the number is reaching 500 and in Fiji, the World Health Organisation says the figure is around 300 cases, but reports in local media estimate the number could be closer to 800.

Dr Kevin Palmer is the WHO representative in Samoa. I asked him at what point is a pandemic declared.

PALMER: Well, it's gotten so that it's having a major impact, not only on the health of the Pacific, but also on the economy, one of which we rely on tourism and Dengue outbreaks pretty much kill of the tourism industry. So what we're saying is that it's getting worse and it's having a major impact everywhere, and it's getting so that the private industry is concerned.

HEGGEN; Dr Palmer is concerned that Pacific Island countries may have been placing a disproportionate effort on preventing an outbreak of Avian flu, at the expense of dealing with Dengue fever, which is already well entrenched in the region.

PALMER: There has been a lot of money put into Avian influenza pandemic preparedness in the Pacific, a lot of training and a lot of infrastructure and capacity development, but this has been pretty specific for the bird flue. But bird flu is something that basically hasn't happened and probably never will. And there are a lot of people now sort of getting bird flu burn out.

Dengue very little money has gone toward it. So what we're saying now is some, a little bit of that money that's gone to prepare for Avian influenza pandemic, could or will or can be applied to Dengue, then it will make a lot of difference. But why don't worry about what we already have, which is Dengue, which is at the high levels and having major impact and not worry to much of the introduction of new viruses?

HEGGEN: Dr Palmer says what's desperately needed is a coordinated regional response to dengue.

PALMER: The push has been going on for a long time, but it's slow to be taken out, because governments tend to forget about dengue between outbreaks. So they run around and try to take care of the mosquitoes and treat people when there is an outbreak. But after the outbreak, they sort of forget about it and then we go into a period of inaction. The mosquitoes build up again and we have another outbreak. So dengue is very cyclic, and the interest of governments tends to be very cyclic.

HEGGEN: Dr Palmer says that climate change factors mean that a regional response is more critical than ever.

PALMER: Some of my colleagues will say not, but I tend to believe, especially in the Pacific, it's going to have a big impact. Because we're going to see changes in water use, more people relying on rain water collection, more containers. It's going to increase the temperate. The temperature has a direct impact on mosquito breeding. So I think it will, even like increasing population density, islands where they start losing some of their land area. People are going to live closer together and this also is a positive thing for the mosquitoes.