Without the support of the public, state health officials fear that the current outbreak of dengue fever on the Big Island could be here to stay.
Without the support of the public, state health officials fear that the current outbreak of dengue fever on the Big Island could be here to stay.
On Tuesday, the state Department of Health confirmed that the mosquito-borne virus has so far infected 11 people, with many possible cases remaining to be verified. Confirmation can take about 10 days, because blood samples must be shipped to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the mainland.
Workers in the Health Department’s Hawaii County Vector Control office have been busy canvassing neighborhoods where cases have been reported, testing for mosquito larvae and spraying insecticide, but if the outbreak continues to crop up in new locations and infect more people, those workers could be spread thin.
Six years ago, Hawaii County’s Vector Control branch took a big hit due to budget cutbacks, said Department of Health spokeswoman Janice Okubo.
“In 2009, the Vector Control Branch in Hawaii County lost 11 of 15 positions due to a statewide reduction in force to reduce the budget,” she wrote in an email response to questions.
A division of the state DOH’s Environmental Protection and Health Services Division, Vector Control is charged with controlling populations of mammals, birds, insects and other animals capable of transmitting diseases. In the case of the current dengue outbreak, identifying and controlling populations of mosquitoes on the entire Big Island currently falls on the shoulders of just four Vector Control inspectors — two based in East Hawaii and two based in West Hawaii, she said.
This year, in response to concerns about the cuts, state legislators agreed to fund two additional Vector Control field work positions for Hawaii County, as well as two positions in Maui County, Okubo said.
“Those positions are currently being classified and may be recruited sometime later next year,” she said.
Meanwhile, workers on the other islands are available, should Hawaii County’s Vector Control branch request their help in tamping down the Big Isle outbreak, she said. And the state is working hard to get out the word that residents can do a lot to help state workers confront the outbreak.
“We’re really trying to get the word out to the public,” said Hawaii State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park. “Specifically about the prevention messages … to say, ‘It’s on you.’ It’s not just about waiting for the Department of Health to come spray. Because that’s not going to happen, frankly. We don’t have the resources to spray every sign of mosquitoes.”