Fiji declares dengue fever outbreak in the Western Division
A rise in dengue fever cases in the Western Division since the beginning of the year has prompted the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services to declare an outbreak.
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services confirmed cases have reached 200 since the beginning of 2025.
In addition, the Health Ministry says the majority of cases from the Western Division belong to the 10 to 29 years age group.
“In anticipation of this Dengue Outbreak, the Ministry of Health and Medical Services has a Dengue Action Plan that has been implemented and monitoring of the situation by both the divisional heads and Senior Managers have been ongoing.
“More cases of dengue fever are expected every year during the rainy season from October to April and following periods of adverse weather conditions.
“Divisional Health teams have been alerted to the increasing number of dengue fever cases above expected levels, in order to encourage early recognition, treatment, and referral of cases as required”, officials note.
Dengue is a disease caused by a virus spread through mosquito bites. The disease can take up to 2 weeks to develop with illness generally lasting less than a week.
Symptoms from dengue include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, rash, muscle and joint pain, and minor bleeding.
Dengue can become severe within a few hours. Severe dengue is a medical emergency, usually requiring hospitalization.
In severe cases, health effects can include hemorrhage (uncontrolled bleeding), shock (seriously low blood pressure), organ failure, and death.