In a follow-up to a report one month ago, the dengue fever situation on Easter Island (Rapa Nui) has grown to 13 locally acquired cases, prompting a health alert for the area, according to the Chile Ministry of Health (computer translated).

Image/Wolk9 via pixabay
Image/Wolk9 via pixabay

The Mayor of the Region of Valparaíso, Jorge Martínez, and the Seremi de Salud, Francisco Álvarez issued the health warning.

“From the first case, several measures have been taken, such as the elimination of mosquito breeding sites. Fumigation has also been done. In confirmed and suspected cases, isolation measures have been adopted, which consist in delivering spray and mosquito nets to the affected people, because also they, confirmed or suspected, can transmit the virus to mosquitoes that can transmit dengue, “said the Health Authority.

The serotype circulating in dengue virus 1 (DEN-1).

Zika virus infection reported on Easter Island

“All the measures that have been taken are to eliminate the outbreak and if necessary we will do a sweeping fumigation on the whole island if there are many cases from different sides, at the moment the cases have been super concentrated which has facilitated the control of the outbreak, but we can not rule out that cases continue to appear, “said Seremi de Salud.

Francisco Alvarez concluded that “we have been working since the first cases appeared for the strengthening of the protocols and intensifying the environmental sanitary control measures”.