Transcript
The Marshall Islands Health Secretary, Jack Neidenthal. says a month long state of emergency was declared on August 6th, freeing up extra funding and imposing travel restrictions to limit the spread of dengue fever.
He says medical staff are stretched coping with sick patients and prevention is in full swing to contain the illness spread by mosquitoes.
"The situation on Ebeye, they are really well organised up there. And I really believe the local government and our health team up there has done really a great job on trying to get this under control. When you see these people on zoom calls at the end of the day, they are all just like totally burned out. I mean it's, everyone here is working 12, 14 hour days and it's the same on Majuro just getting ready for what may happen here."
He says Ebeye hospitals are already packed and on Majuro extra hospital beds have been brought in as those who have had the illness in the past are at greater risk.
"The dengue we have now is dengue 3. We, in 2011 we had a really bad outbreak of dengue 4, 1600 people got that here. So if you've had one kind of dengue and then get another version of it, like this is dengue 3, it becomes very dangerous. You can hemorrhage and the complications become much more severe."
He says the situation in 2011 was horrific with so many people very unwell and the outbreak continuing for two months.
He says they are working hard to avoid dengue spreading especially to outer islands without full medical care.
Mr Neidenthal says the government is working closely with the Red Cross to limit the outbreak with public health information and community clean-ups as well as delivering supplies.
Red Cross communications manager, Roger Muller, says neighbouring countries are also helping with the emergency.
"So we received in total 900 mosquito nets from the American Red Cross Society Chapter of Saipan Northern Mariana Islands and the Micronesia Red Cross that totals up to 900 mosquito nets that will be distributed to the most vulnerable in the community."
Roger Muller says schools remain closed on Ebeye while they are cleaned up and made safe for children who can become very sick with dengue.
The World Health Organisation says dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection causing flu-like illness, and can occasionally develops into potentially lethal complications.
It says the global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in recent decades and about half of the world's population is now at risk.
Before 1970, only 9 countries had experienced severe dengue epidemics but now the disease is endemic in more than 100 countries.
Sean Casey is from the Division of Technical Support in Suva, and has been coordinating the response from the WHO with the Marshall Islands in regular consultations.
"Speaking about how to prevent and if necessary manage cases on outer islands. So contingency planning is key to that. Making sure that they have the supplies they need, that they have the technical resources they need to prevent that spread from happening. And if it does happen to respond quickly and effectively. So our focus is providing a range of technical support along with other partners in the Pacific Region."
Sean Casey says prevention is much more cost effective than medivaccing people sick with dengue from the outer islands for treatment.
Meanwhile Jack Neidenthal says the US Airforce base on Kwajalein Atoll has its own medical facilities and is still fully operational.
This is Jenny Meyer.
