Mosquito bite warning for travellers to the Pacific

The viruses have been prevalent in the Pacific over the past year; with up to 4289 cases of chikungunya reported in Samoa, 68 cases of dengue fever in Fiji and 33 cases of dengue in Tonga. Photo / AP

Spike in number of tourists returning from Pacific with mosquito-borne illnesses sparks call for precautions.

Kiwis travelling to the Pacific are being warned to take all measures to avoid mosquito bites - as the number of people returning with viruses continues to increase.

The Auckland Regional Public Health Service says it has seen a marked increase in the number of people returning from the Pacific Islands with dengue fever or chikungunya.

Both viral illnesses are transmitted by mosquitoes and have similar symptoms. Dengue fever is arguably worse, with symptoms including high fever, severe headaches and vomiting.

Chikungunya can see a person bedridden for more than a week, with conjunctivitis, nausea, vomiting and joint pain being the key symptoms.

The viruses have been prevalent in the Pacific over the past year; with up to 4289 cases of chikungunya reported in Samoa, 68 cases of dengue fever in Fiji and 33 cases of dengue in Tonga.

Tonga last week declared an official dengue fever outbreak and is now working to minimise mosquito breeding places. There are also cases in the Cook Islands.

Auckland Regional Public Health Service medical officer Dr Simon Baker said: "We're regularly seeing cases of dengue and chikungunya every week. Up until the end of last week there were 35 cases of dengue in New Zealand and 25 of those were from Auckland.

"Every week, we get half a dozen of cases of chikungunya coming in as well."

Between January and December last year, there were 119 cases of dengue fever reported in Auckland.

Many (40 per cent) of those people had travelled to Fiji while others had been to Indonesia, Tonga and French Polynesia.

Last year there were 33 cases of chikungunya in Auckland - more than half of whom had been to Samoa, while others had been to Tonga.

Dr Baker acknowledged that this was the first time chikungunya, usually seen in Africa and Asia, had appeared in the Pacific region, while dengue fever tended to come and go.

There is no vaccine for either virus and people were encouraged to apply insect repellent at all times and wear protective clothing and shoes.

"There's no tablet you can take like you can with malaria. And there's no actual treatment for [people] - it's just supportive care.

"The only thing people can do is to protect themselves from getting bitten from mosquitoes."

Sickness and symptoms

• Dengue fever and chikungunya are viral illnesses transmitted by mosquitoes found in tropical regions, including the Pacific.

• Dengue brings high fever, severe headaches and vomiting. Chikungunya symptoms are conjunctivitis, nausea, vomiting, arthritic and joint pain.

• There is no vaccine or cure for either, so take precautions by applying insect repellent containing DEET (concentration 30-50), and wear protective clothing and shoes.