Outbreak of dengue in Nauru detention centre

Transcript

The Refugee Action Coalition says there has been an outbreak of dengue fever in the Australian-run asylum seeker detention centre on Nauru.

The coalition's spokesperson, Ian Rintoul, says there are three confirmed cases among staff and detainees at the centre, and there is a serious risk of it spreading because of the number of people in a confined space.

He told Jamie Tahana that medical facilities are inadequate and some detainees who have presented symptoms of fever have just been given paracetamol.

IAN RINTOUL: Well we know there are three confirmed cases amongst the staff and the detainees.  I don't know if whether that's one staff or two detainees or the other way around exactly.  But certainly there have been staff and detainees in the detention centre that have been confirmed with dengue fever.

JAMIE TAHANA:  And do we know what kind of facilities the camp has to able to cope with such a spread?  I mean, a lot of people in a confined space, there is that risk of it spreading?

IR:  There's a very serious risk of it spreading because it is such a confined space and a lot of people, and I think it has to be said that the medical facilities in the detention centre itself is completely inadequate to deal with dengue fever.  I mean though, even the hospital arrangements on Nauru itself are stretched to deal with those cases.

JT:  You say that some people presenting with symptoms are just been given panadol?

IR:  Yes, it's unclear, we have only just heard recently that it's been confirmed but the number of people with fever and often it's been attributed to influenza or undiagnosed fevers but they had been just told take panadol and drink water. But now there are these cases that are confirmed, our concerns about the welfare of people have been raised considerably.  It may well be there are a number of undiagnosed cases in the detention centres.

JT:  Has there been any acknowledgment from the Australian government about this outbreak?

IR:  No, there is none that I know of at all and that's been a little bit concerning.  I think they've known about it for sometime and it's certainly the case that's it the Nauru hospital has been aware of the dengue fever cases amongst the general population which would make the issue of what kind of preventative measures have been taken, but we don't have that information at the moment.