Increased movement of people making dengue outbreaks more common, says mosquito expert
The Lautoka City Council carried out anti mosquito spraying soon after a Dengue Clean Up campaign over the weekend.
Photo:
Ministry of Health & Medical Services - Fiji
Dengue fever outbreaks have been surging in recent decades but new initiatives like infecting mosquitos with bacteria or genetic modification could dramatically slow the spread.
According to the World Health Organization there was just over 500,0000 reported cases in 2000 - ballooning to 5.2 million in 2019.
Last year, there were
14 million dengue cases
- a record number dwarfing the previous 2023 high of 6.5 million.
This year, there's been 2.5 million.
Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and the Cook Islands have all
declared dengue outbreaks
. Samoa, Fiji and Tonga have each had at least one death from the viral infection.
Greg Devine from the World Mosquito Program said increased globalisation is making outbreaks more common.
Devine said mosquitos that carry the virus "hitchhike around the world" and the increased movement of people is increasing those infected by dengue.
Devine said a lot of people also don't have immunity.
"They don't have any protection against it because they've never been exposed to it before," he said.
"Dengue comes in four different serotypes, so just because you've had one doesn't mean you can't get another."
Photo:
123RF
He said
climate change was having an increasing impact
.
"We are hotter and wetter than we've ever been before and that's great for mosquitoes. It also means that the virus in mosquitoes is replicating more rapidly."
The aedes aegypti mosquito - which carries dengue - is considered a tropical or subtropical mosquito, but Devine said warmer weather would also increase the mosquitoes' range of where it inhabits.
In the Pacific, health ministries are trying to stamp out mosquito breeding grounds and are spraying insecticides outside.
But Devine said doing so has had limited success in reducing the spread.
He said the aedes aegypti mosquito is "completely reliant upon humans for its blood meals" which meant it liked to stay indoors, not outdoors where the majority of the spraying happens.
"Outdoor use of insecticides, it's perhaps better than nothing and the truth is that the community wants to see something happening.
"That's a very visible intervention but the reality is, there's a very limited evidence base for its impact."
Mosquitoes continually exposed to insecticides would also evolve resistance, Devine said.
The World Mosquito Programme infects mosquitos with a naturally occurring bacteria called Wolbachia, which stops viruses like dengue growing in the mosquitoes' bodies.
Photo:
123RF
"It's been
trialled in New Caledonia
, where it's been extremely successful," Devine said.
"In the years since, the mosquito releases have been made by the World Mosquito Program, there's been no dengue epidemics where once they were extremely common."
He said genetically modified mosquitoes were also being looked at as a solution.
"That's a different kind of strategy, where you release large numbers of mosquitoes which have been modified in a way which means when those males interact with the local mosquito female population, the resulting offspring are not viable, and so that can crash the entire population."
When asked if that could collapse the entire aedes aegypti mosquito population, Devine said he wouldn't be "particularly worried about decimating numbers".
"People often refer to it as the kind of cockroach of the mosquito world.
"It's very, very closely adapted to the human population in most parts of its range. The species evolved in Africa and has since, spread throughout the world. It's not a particularly important mosquito for many ecosystems."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
15 hours ago
- RNZ News
Sick leave saga, public v private health claims
media health 4 minutes ago Mediawatch looks at the debate over whether private or public providers should be cutting waiting lists for surgery, or what combo of both will work best - and how sick leave suddenly surged to the top of the news agenda, sparked by an unlikely source.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Tonga's health system hit by cyberattack
Dr ʻAkauʻola said that hackers encrypted the system and demanded payment. Photo: 123RF A team of Australian cyber experts flew to Tonga this week after the country's National Health Information System was breached, leading to a demand for payment from the hackers. Talanoa O Tonga reports the Health Minister Dr ʻAna ʻAkauʻola saying the system has been shut down, and staff are handling data manually. Dr ʻAkauʻola said that hackers encrypted the system and demanded payment, but she has assured MPs "the hackers won't damage the information" on the system. This system was introduced in 2019 with Asian Development Bank (ADB) support to digitise Tonga's health records before going "live" in 2021. Police Minister Paula Piukala was critical of past governments for ignoring warnings that Tonga's digital infrastructure is not fully prepared for these threats. Journalist Sifa Pomana said the hackers are demanding millions of dollars, according to Tonga Police. Residents are being urged to bring essential records to the hospital to help with manual record-keeping.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- RNZ News
The new Suicide Prevention Action Plan - What you need to know
A new Suicide Prevention Action Plan was announced this week. Photo: RNZ/Michelle Tiang Explainer - New Zealand's suicide rate is "stubbornly high", with more than 600 people dead by suspected suicide in 2023-24. To tackle the problem the government this week announced a new Suicide Prevention Action Plan . Here's what you need to know. The five-year plan, described as a "whole of government" approach, includes 21 health-led new actions and 13 cross-agency new actions . "Suicide is preventable and we have a duty as a government, and as a country, to do more to ensure all New Zealanders have the access and support they need to heal and go on to live the life they deserve," Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey said in introducing the plan Tuesday. More than 400 people and organisations provided feedback during the public consultation on the draft plan, with what Doocey called a focus on "lived experience". "We've heard through extensive engagement with communities, families, and people who have been affected by suicide, that they expect the whole-of government approach to suicide prevention and clear actions that can make a tangible difference for communities." The plan builds on the government's Suicide Prevention Strategy 2019-2029 and the 2019-2024 prevention action plan. Doocey said this new plan would focus "on delivery with clear milestones, completion dates, and importantly an accountable agency". The Ministry of Health's suicide prevention office will lead delivery of the plan with the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission monitoring its delivery. A new overall Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy is also set to be released by the government in October. The plan specifies four categories of actions: The plan places an emphasis on "postvention" - support for those who have lost someone to suicide or survive a suicide attempt. Among the new initiatives are plans to open six "crisis hubs" that will provide options for people experiencing distress, Doocey said. "What do know sadly with suicide is there are a number that are same-day crisis so we do know that if we can get in early and support someone through that 24 hours we can make a real difference." The plan outlines a series of suicide prevention initiatives, each with specific deadlines over the next five years. Among the goals listed are: "I think (the plan) is doing what it can with the limited resources that Minster Doocey has been able to get to take things forward," Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson told Midday Report . "There are some good things in the plan. The scale of all the changes is relatively small. There's a lot of pilots, there's a lot of limited numbers of new services." Watch Minister Doocey deliver the plan here: About $36 million is being put into it. It will be supported by an existing Vote Health suicide prevention investment of $20 million per year, plus an additional of more than $16 million per year from 2025/26 to improve access to mental health and suicide prevention supports. In wider mental health efforts, Budget 2025 invested $28 million over four years to fund the transition from a police-led response to a mental health response to 111 mental distress calls and $50 million in improving the safety, privacy and dignity of mentally distressed people at mental health facilities. The rate of suspected self-inflicted deaths was 11.2 per 100,000 population for 2023-24, Health New Zealand figures show. "New Zealand continues to face stubbornly high suicide rates," Doocey said in introducing the plan. "Last year, 617 people died by suspected suicide." In 2023-24 the average rate of suspected suicide decreased by 3.6 percent from the historical average, but it was not considered a statistically significant decrease to the 15-year average. The figures show some communities were far more affected than others. Men have approximately 2.5 higher rates of suicide than women, while youth aged 20 to 24 have the highest suspected suicide rate of 19.9 per 100,000, according to Health New Zealand figures. Māori experience about 1.8 times the suspected suicide rate of non-Maōri. In the LGBTIQ+ community, 64 percent of young people thought about suicide in the past year while 10 percent had attempted it. Other communities with higher rates included Pacific youth, rural communities and young people involved with Oranga Tamariki. Earlier this year a controversial UNICEF report claimed New Zealand's youth suicide rate was three times higher than the international average for high-income countries, but University of Auckland mental health experts have disputed that figure . Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii Much of the funding is targeted, the Mental Health Foundation's Robinson said. "Some of the things that are really positive in the plan are additional specific suicide prevention funding targeted to different groups like young people, like rural communities, that I think is a good step," Robinson said. "We definitely need more services that are specifically addressing the needs of groups that are at risk." The plan states, "More kaupapa Māori approaches to suicide prevention are also needed as well as ensuring visibility of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and prioritisation of specific Māori-led actions." "We know one of the biggest barriers to support is our workforce," Doocey said. "The plan includes initiatives that will grow our workforce, such as by expanding suicide prevention training and strengthening existing resources to better equip workforces, communities and families." Earlier this year data was released showing that fewer people are getting specialist mental health care despite rising needs . Data by Te Hiringa Mahara-Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission shows 16,000 fewer people were seen by specialist services in the year to June 2024, compared to a peak in the year ended June 2021. Two-thirds of those people were under age 25. Police have also begun the staged retreat from responding to mental health call-outs . Asked about the pressure that puts on mental health services by Nine To Noon , Doocey said the $28 million invested in the Budget will fund the transition. "The transitioning from a police led 111 mental health crisis response to a mental health-led 111 crisis response is a four- to five-year program." Robinson said that while the plan shows progress, there is much work to be done on improving mental well-being. "I think that the whole mental health infrastructure is still struggling significantly. But then, the other things we need to think about is what's happening in our wider community that impacts on people's sense of hope and sense of wellbeing - unemployment, economic problems, increased conflict over things like race, and all of these things do contribute to the issues around suicide. "In many ways we're taking two steps forward and perhaps one step back in New Zealand. I do think this plan is two steps forward, so on the whole I guess it's good to see some progress." If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
