15 Mar 2018

At least 70 cases of dengue in Tonga

4:18 pm on 15 March 2018

Tonga's Ministry of Health says there are at least 70 dengue cases in the country.

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Photo: 123RF

Supervising Public Health Inspector, Sela Fa'u, says a cleaning up campaign is underway and officials are working to destroy mosquito breeding areas in villages where the victims of dengue fever live.

They are focusing on swampy areas in the central district.

Ms Fa'u says it is important for people to practise hygienic lifestyles during the recovering period from last month's Cyclone Gita, in an effort to control the spread of dengue.

Tonga declared a dengue outbreak following the death of a 12-year-old New Zealand girl in the kingdom in late January.

Her family say she died due to dengue after first being misdiagnosed followed by a lack of adequate treatement at Vaiola hospital.

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