Dengue case confirmed

The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. has confirmed that a patient who had just returned from an off-island trip had been infected with dengue fever.

It was learned during a press briefing yesterday that the patient, whose identity is being withheld, is in good condition right now.

According to CHCC spokesperson Zoe Travis, the infected person had just returned from a trip to Palau. Physicians at the Commonwealth Health Center believe that the infected person contracted dengue fever through a mosquito bite during the person’s trip to Palau.

Travis said that a Guam laboratory tested the patient’s blood sample and confirmed that the patient has dengue fever. The blood test was initially not related to a test for dengue.

“The dengue fever is transmitted by mosquitoes and, of the two types of mosquitoes that transmit the infection, only one is present in the CNMI,” Travis said.

In yesterday’s press conference, CHCC program managers and directors talked about their efforts in dealing with the case, with assurances that the chance of an outbreak in the CNMI is deemed to be low.

According to CHCC Medical Affairs director Dr. John Tudela, CHCC has contacted other medical providers on island about reinforcing that they get a comprehensive history on suspected cases and to rule out any suspicious cases.

Tudela assured that CHC is fully capable to take care of its patients. “The message here is truly just to be very careful when you travel by taking precautions, using protective barriers, and using insect repellants,” he said.

Bureau of Environmental Health director John Tagabuel said the bureau received a report of a suspected case a couple of weeks ago. The team met with the individual and set up mosquito traps within 150 to 300 meters of the infected individual, and found that there have been a lot of mosquitoes due to the heavy rains from the past couple of days.

“With the news of the case being positive, we are increasing surveillance and outreach efforts about dengue fever,” Tagabuel said.

Public Health Hospital Emergency Preparedness program director Warren Villagomez ensured that they are ramping up their surveillance and outreach efforts, including monitoring all critical sentinel sites and reaching out to the private clinics.

“We are monitoring by reaching out to Guam…so we can better prepare,” Villagomez said.

Travis said that CHCC currently has dengue fever vaccines, but will only provide it if the use is approved. The vaccines can be used only on patients who have had dengue fever previously.

According to PHEPP epidemiologist Dr. Paul White, the Pacific is common for dengue fever, with islands in the South Pacific such as Tuvalu, New Caledonia, the Cook Islands, and the French Polynesia all having outbreaks. “It’s to be entirely expected that people will have occasional traveler-associated dengue fever,” White said.

Although there are currently no outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses in the CNMI, dengue fever outbreaks have been declared in the Philippines, Palau, and, most recently, Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia.