Two siblings among latest child deaths as devastating outbreak grips Pacific
A nine-year-old boy and his two-year-old brother from Mulifanua in Upolu became the fourth and fifth victims of the virus, passing away within days of each other.
According to the boys' grandmother, the older brother was given Panadol in the days before his death on July 30 after showing symptoms of dengue fever.
After waiting hours to be seen at their closest medical centre, an ambulance was eventually called to transport him to the main hospital, but his "heartbeat dropped" just 10 minutes into the journey.
They returned back to the clinic, but the child could not be saved.
Tragically, his younger brother passed away several days later.
The three other deaths include a five-year-old girl who died on July 29, an eight-year-old girl who died on July 13 and a 12-year-old boy who died in April after being flown to New Zealand for medical treatment.
Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa this week urged parents "not to wait until it is too late" to seek medical attention for children affected by dengue fever.
'It is important to heed advice from the Ministry of Health. For parents and guardians, please seek immediate medical assistance if your child develops dengue fever symptoms,' she said at a press conference on Monday.
'Do not wait until it is too late. Early treatment can save lives.'
Samoa's Ministry of Health released their latest dengue report on Thursday, confirming four dengue-related deaths and one probable death awaiting confirmation. A further 1446 clinically diagnosed cases were reported from July 28 to August 3.
The spike in dengue cases has caused all schools across Samoa to be closed for another week, heavily disrupting the start of term 3.
Samoa, along with Fiji, Tonga, the Cook Islands and Kiribati are all in the grips of dengue fever outbreaks. Other nations have also reported cases, though haven't officially announced an outbreak. These include Hawai'i, French Polynesia, American Samoa, Nauru and Tuvalu.
The mosquito-borne virus has similar symptoms to a bad flu or Covid virus, which can make it difficult to diagnose without a blood test. Symptoms typically include sudden fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting and a faint red rash.
Why are so many children falling sick?
In Samoa, a staggering 71 per cent of dengue cases are in children younger than 15 years old.
Dr Mark Jacobs, WHO Representative to the South Pacific and Director of Pacific Technical Support, recently told Yahoo News there's a reason why young people are more highly represented in the statistics.
"Because being infected with a strain of dengue usually provides lifelong immunity against that strain, children can be at much higher risk of being infected when the strain is reintroduced into the country," he said.
"Many adults would have been infected previously, meaning they are protected from reinfection with that strain."
There are four strains of dengue, with two currently in the Pacific. Once someone recovers from the disease, they generally get life-long immunity — but only to that strain.
The WHO advises that even a bottle cap can contain enough water for a mosquito to breed, and urges locals to do their part to clean up any potential mosquito breeding sites. Drains, gutters, bottles, buckets, wheelbarrows and even spare tyres could all collect water and turn into a breeding ground.
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