Medical Alert 19–26 April 2018 - week 16

Fiji: Dengue Fever Since the start of 2018, over 1,800 confirmed dengue cases have been detected nationwide. In early January, an outbreak was declared in Macuata Province, on the northern island of Vanua Levu. Labasa town in Northern Division was been particularly hard hit.

Further outbreaks were reported 20 February, in Nadi and Ba. These areas are in Western Division on the main island Viti Levu In March, cases were reportedly declining in the west but increasing in the Central Division, mostly around the Suva subdivision The disease is spread by mosquitoes, and is present in both rural and urban areas. Dengue is endemic (consistently present) in Fiji and cases usually increase between November and April during the rainy season. Additionally, dengue outbreaks are ongoing in some Pacific islands. Yemen: Cholera outbreak Cholera activity has been high since April 2017.

A state of emergency has been declared. Is is now reported by the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC) that there have been more than 1.08 million suspected cholera cases and at least 2,267 deaths to date.  Although the outbreak seems to be declining, hundreds of people continue to fall ill each day, including from the capital city of Sana'a. The governorates of Al Mahwit, Al Dhale'e, Amran, Hajjah, and Sana'a are the most affected areas.