Rise In Dengue Fever Outbreaks Across The Pacific Driven By The Climate Crisis, Experts Say

The ambiance situation is driving a crisp emergence successful dengue fever cases crossed nan Pacific islands, experts say, arsenic infections deed their highest level successful a decade and respective countries state emergencies.

Pacific Island countries and territories person reported 16,502 confirmed cases and 17 deaths since nan commencement of 2025, according to nan Pacific Syndromic Surveillance System (PSSS), which collaborates pinch nan World Health Organization (WHO) and different agencies. Infections crossed nan region are astatine nan highest level since 2016, nan WHO said. Fiji, Samoa and Tonga are among nan worst affected.

Dr Paula Vivili, lawman head wide of nan Pacific Community (SPC), said historically dengue outbreaks were seasonal.

“However, owed to ambiance change, transmission seasons are lengthening, and immoderate areas are experiencing year-round dengue risk,” Vivili said.

Dengue fever, a viral unwellness dispersed by Aedes mosquitoes, causes precocious fever, terrible headache, associated and musculus pain, rash, and successful terrible cases tin beryllium fatal. Rising temperatures, rainfall and accrued humidity are creating perfect breeding conditions for Aedes mosquitoes, moreover successful areas antecedently unsuitable for transmission.

“Dengue is 1 of nan first existent disease-related phenomena that we tin laic astatine nan ft of ambiance change,” said Dr Joel Kaufman, epidemiologist and head of nan Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics and Environment astatine nan University of Washington.

“Rainfall raises nan waterline complete mosquito eggs laid conscionable supra nan surface, which past hatch – that’s portion of nan earthy breeding cycle. Heavy rains tin besides summation stagnant h2o sources, creating much opportunities for mosquitoes to breed,” he said.

Kaufman warned these outbreaks pointed to a wider nationalist wellness challenge.

“It is successful nan vanguard of what will surely beryllium galore types of quality illness that go much communal and much superior arsenic nan satellite warms.”

Since declaring an outbreak successful April, Samoa has confirmed six dengue-related deaths, including 2 siblings, and much than 5,600 cases. This twelvemonth Fiji has recorded 8 deaths and 10,969 cases. Tonga has reported complete 800 cases and 3 deaths since declaring an outbreak successful February.

These outbreaks underscore nan region’s vulnerability to climate-sensitive diseases, which are expected to intensify arsenic world temperatures rise.

Pacific Island countries nutrient conscionable 0.03% of world greenhouse state emissions, according to nan Intergovernmental Panel connected Climate Change (IPCC), but look immoderate of nan astir terrible climate-related wellness threats, including vector-borne diseases.

Recent months person brought utmost rainfall to parts of nan Pacific including Palau, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, while terrible drought has gripped parts of nan Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Nauru and Fiji, according to nan New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). Forecasts show these contrasts will proceed into October.

Although higher rainfall has been attributed to perfect conditions for mosquito breeding, Kaufman said that utmost upwind events tin besides summation transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. Seriously barren aliases very barren conditions were recorded crossed ample parts of nan Pacific successful nan first half of nan year, according to NIWA.

“We mightiness person thought nan dryness would trim mosquito-borne infections, but it seems that’s not what happens,” Kaufman said. “Instead, there’s an acceleration of transmission.”

Across nan Pacific, nationalist responses person varied. Samoa, Cook Islands and American Samoa person declared emergencies. The Cook Islands has conducted island-wide clean-ups, intensified surveillance and targeted spraying. Tonga has worked pinch nan WHO to bolster its outbreak consequence successful its worst-hit islands, while Tuvalu has turned to societal media and wellness campaigns to beforehand preventive measures. Samoa has held schoolhouse clean-ups and boosted nationalist wellness messaging. New Zealand has sent a objective squad and NZ$300,000 ($178,000) worthy of aesculapian supplies to Samoa, alongside on-the-ground unit and ongoing coordination pinch Samoan wellness officials.

But experts opportunity these measures are being undermined by inadequate surveillance.

“Current illness surveillance systems are seldom capable to negociate dengue, arsenic evidenced by nan continual maturation of dengue successful nan region, and much mostly globally,” said Dr Bobby Reiner, illness ecologist astatine nan Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation astatine nan University of Washington.

Mosquito power devices are methods utilized to trim nan organization of Aedes mosquitoes that dispersed dengue, specified arsenic removing breeding sites, applying larvicides aliases spraying insecticides. They tin besides see biologic controls, individual protection measures and organization clean-up campaigns to forestall mosquito bites and transmission.

Still, Reiner said galore mosquito power devices had ne'er been proven to trim transmission, pinch astir responses reactive and often “wastefully chasing nan outbreak, applying effort excessively late”.