Latest news with #PacificCommunity
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Rise in dengue fever outbreaks across the Pacific driven by the climate crisis, experts say
The climate crisis is driving a sharp rise in dengue fever cases across the Pacific islands, experts say, as infections hit their highest level in a decade and several countries declare emergencies. Pacific Island countries and territories have reported 16,502 confirmed cases and 17 deaths since the start of 2025, according to the Pacific Syndromic Surveillance System (PSSS), which collaborates with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies. Infections across the region are at the highest level since 2016, the WHO said. Fiji, Samoa and Tonga are among the worst affected. Dr Paula Vivili, deputy director general of the Pacific Community (SPC), said historically dengue outbreaks were seasonal. 'However, due to climate change, transmission seasons are lengthening, and some areas are experiencing year-round dengue risk,' Vivili said. Dengue fever, a viral illness spread by Aedes mosquitoes, causes high fever, severe headache, joint and muscle pain, rash, and in severe cases can be fatal. Rising temperatures, rainfall and increased humidity are creating ideal breeding conditions for Aedes mosquitoes, even in areas previously unsuitable for transmission. 'Dengue is one of the first real disease-related phenomena that we can lay at the foot of climate change,' said Dr Joel Kaufman, epidemiologist and director of the Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics and Environment at the University of Washington. 'Rainfall raises the waterline over mosquito eggs laid just above the surface, which then hatch – that's part of the natural breeding cycle. Heavy rains can also increase stagnant water sources, creating more opportunities for mosquitoes to breed,' he said. Kaufman warned these outbreaks pointed to a wider public health challenge. 'It is in the vanguard of what will certainly be many types of human disease that become more common and more serious as the planet warms.' Since declaring an outbreak in April, Samoa has confirmed six dengue-related deaths, including two siblings, and more than 5,600 cases. This year Fiji has recorded eight deaths and 10,969 cases. Tonga has reported over 800 cases and three deaths since declaring an outbreak in February. These outbreaks underscore the region's vulnerability to climate-sensitive diseases, which are expected to intensify as global temperatures rise. Pacific Island countries produce just 0.03% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), but face some of the most severe climate-related health threats, including vector-borne diseases. Recent months have brought extreme rainfall to parts of the Pacific including Palau, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, while severe drought has gripped parts of the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Nauru and Fiji, according to the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). Forecasts show these contrasts will continue into October. Although higher rainfall has been attributed to ideal conditions for mosquito breeding, Kaufman said that extreme weather events can also increase transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. Seriously dry or very dry conditions were recorded across large parts of the Pacific in the first half of the year, according to NIWA. 'We might have thought the dryness would reduce mosquito-borne infections, but it seems that's not what happens,' Kaufman said. 'Instead, there's an acceleration of transmission.'Across the Pacific, national responses have varied. Samoa, Cook Islands and American Samoa have declared emergencies. The Cook Islands has conducted island-wide clean-ups, intensified surveillance and targeted spraying. Tonga has worked with the WHO to bolster its outbreak response in its worst-hit islands, while Tuvalu has turned to social media and health campaigns to promote preventive measures. Samoa has held school clean-ups and boosted public health messaging. New Zealand has sent a clinical team and NZ$300,000 ($178,000) worth of medical supplies to Samoa, alongside on-the-ground personnel and ongoing coordination with Samoan health officials. But experts say these measures are being undermined by inadequate surveillance. 'Current disease surveillance systems are rarely sufficient to manage dengue, as evidenced by the continual growth of dengue in the region, and more generally globally,' said Dr Bobby Reiner, disease ecologist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. Mosquito control tools are methods used to reduce the population of Aedes mosquitoes that spread dengue, such as removing breeding sites, applying larvicides or spraying insecticides. They can also include biological controls, personal protection measures and community clean-up campaigns to prevent mosquito bites and transmission. Still, Reiner said many mosquito control tools had never been proven to reduce transmission, with most responses reactive and often 'wastefully chasing the outbreak, applying effort too late'.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Rise in dengue fever outbreaks across the Pacific driven by the climate crisis, experts say
The climate crisis is driving a sharp rise in dengue fever cases across the Pacific islands, experts say, as infections hit their highest level in a decade and several countries declare emergencies. Pacific Island countries and territories have reported 16,502 confirmed cases and 17 deaths since the start of 2025, according to the Pacific Syndromic Surveillance System (PSSS), which collaborates with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies. Infections across the region are at the highest level since 2016, the WHO said. Fiji, Samoa and Tonga are among the worst affected. Dr Paula Vivili, deputy director general of the Pacific Community (SPC) said historically dengue outbreaks were seasonal. 'However, due to climate change, transmission seasons are lengthening, and some areas are experiencing year-round dengue risk,' Vivili said. Dengue fever, a viral illness spread by Aedes mosquitoes, causes high fever, severe headache, joint and muscle pain, rash, and in severe cases, can be fatal. Rising temperatures, rainfall and increased humidity are creating ideal breeding conditions for Aedes mosquitoes, even in areas previously unsuitable for transmission. 'Dengue is one of the first real disease-related phenomena that we can lay at the foot of climate change,' said Dr Joel Kaufman, epidemiologist and director of the Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics and Environment at the University of Washington. 'Rainfall raises the waterline over mosquito eggs laid just above the surface, which then hatch – that's part of the natural breeding cycle. Heavy rains can also increase stagnant water sources, creating more opportunities for mosquitoes to breed,' said Kaufman. Kaufman warned these outbreaks point to a wider public health challenge. 'It is in the vanguard of what will certainly be many types of human disease that become more common and more serious as the planet warms.' Since declaring an outbreak in April, Samoa has confirmed six dengue-related deaths, including two siblings, and more than 5,600 cases. This year Fiji has recorded eight deaths and 10,969 cases. Tonga has reported over 800 cases and three deaths, since declaring an outbreak in February. These outbreaks underscore the region's vulnerability to climate-sensitive diseases, which are expected to intensify as global temperatures rise. Pacific Island countries produce just 0.03% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), but face some of the most severe climate-related health threats, including vector-borne diseases. Recent months have brought extreme rainfall to parts of the Pacific including Palau, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, while severe drought has gripped parts of the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Nauru and Fiji, according to the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). Forecasts show these contrasts will continue into October. Although higher rainfall has been attributed to ideal conditions for mosquito breeding, Kaufman said that extreme weather events can also increase transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. Seriously dry or very dry conditions were recorded across large parts of the Pacific in the first half of the year, according to NIWA. 'We might have thought the dryness would reduce mosquito-borne infections, but it seems that's not what happens. Instead, there's an acceleration of transmission.' Across the Pacific, national responses have varied. Samoa, Cook Islands and American Samoa have declared emergencies. The Cook Islands has conducted island-wide clean-ups, intensified surveillance and targeted spraying. Tonga has worked with the WHO to bolster its outbreak response in its worst-hit islands, while Tuvalu has turned to social media and health campaigns to promote preventive measures. Samoa has held school clean-ups and boosted public health messaging. New Zealand has sent a clinical team and NZ$300,000 ($178,000) worth of medical supplies to Samoa, alongside on-the-ground personnel and ongoing coordination with Samoan health officials. But experts say these measures are being undermined by inadequate surveillance. 'Current disease surveillance systems are rarely sufficient to manage dengue, as evidenced by the continual growth of dengue in the region, and more generally globally,' said Dr Bobby Reiner, disease ecologist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. Mosquito control tools are methods used to reduce the population of Aedes mosquitoes that spread dengue, such as removing breeding sites, applying larvicides, or spraying insecticides. They can also include biological controls, personal protection measures, and community clean-up campaigns to prevent mosquito bites and transmission. Still, Reiner said many mosquito control tools have never been proven to reduce transmission, with most responses reactive and often 'wastefully chasing the outbreak, applying effort too late'.
Scoop
27-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Building Pacific Capacities To Support Trade And Market Access
To strengthen the skills of Pacific biosecurity, border control, exporter representatives and relevant stakeholders in using Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) databases and platforms, a regional capacity-building workshop is underway in Vanuatu that will enable access to key trade-related information to improve agricultural trade facilitation and market access. The knowledge sharing event is organised by the Pacific Community (SPC) through the European Union- funded Safe Agricultural Trade Facilitation through Economic Integration in the Pacific (SAFE Pacific) project, with technical support from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development IMPACT Project, Vanuatu Electronic Single Window Project, the Pacific Islands Forum's SPIRIT Project, Biosecurity Vanuatu and COLEAD. The unavailability of organised and transparent information is a key barrier to trade. The event raises awareness of important resources and trade platforms available to ease the work of regulatory authorities and improve business processes for exporters of agro products. Knowledge of the use of these tools will help with the movement of goods across borders and maximise efficiency while reducing costs and delays. In this respect, another focus of the workshop is immersing regional participants in the use of the 'single window' concept in risk profiling, planning and facilitating efficient border clearance for both imports and exports. Vanuatu leads the Pacific in this effort, and the country's experiences were also shared by Timor-Leste. In his opening address, Director General of the Vanuatu Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, and Biosecurity (MALFB), Timothy Tumukon shared that trade is no longer about moving goods but also about information that helps move those goods, in an efficient manner and in compliance with importing country regulations. ' Our farmers and exporters depend on accurate, up-to-date SPS information to meet biosecurity conditions, market requirements, including food safety standards, and also to gain access to new overseas markets. Knowing where to go to access essential information is critical, and it is also why digital tools are no longer optional, but essential,' Mr Tumukon said. ' Cooperation amongst all actors along the value chain, and at the borders, is also important. Let us work together to build not just capacity, but resilience, where our businesses are informed, our agencies are equipped, and our trade systems are ready for the future,' he added. Using the example of Vanuatu's Electronic Single Window System, Mr Tumukon shared how Vanuatu, through this tool, is making major strides in improving how it handles export and import processes. ' Our biosecurity team can now coordinate directly with Customs and other regulatory agencies through one platform. This means exporters get faster clearance and approvals without a big pile of paper applications, better access to regulatory information, and a clearer path to compliance with international standards.' Key trade tools and systems shared with participants in the three-day workshop includes the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) and its various module including ASYCUDA Sanitary and Phytosanitary System (ASYSPS), ASYCUDA Reconciliation Module (ASYREC), Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (eCITES) , Trade Single Window, Trade Information Portals (TIPs), the electronic Phytosanitary Certification system (ePhyto), the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES), the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), Global Trade Helpdesk (GTH), Trade Analysis Information Systems (TRAINS), and SPC hosted regional Biosecurity Information Facility (BIF) and Pest List Database (PLD). SPC Programmes and Office Coordinator based at the Melanesia Regional Office in Port Vila, Cecile Depuille, said, ' By equipping Biosecurity, Customs and Trade Officers, alongside micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with the right tools and knowledge, we can better access key markets and improve trade outcomes. ' ' This will position our business community to better leverage and benefit from available trade instruments such as the EU-Pacific States Economic Partnership Agreement,' she said. In line with this, participants also learned provisions in the EU-Pacific States Economic Partnership Agreement that enable greater access for Pacific countries to EU markets, alongside broader awareness on World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), Melanesian Free Trade Agreement (MFTA), Pacific Islands Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) and the agreement under PACER Plus. The tools shared at the workshop can be used to better access information for trade with the EU and other key markets such as Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Asia and intra-regional trade among Pacific Island Countries and Territories. About SAFE Pacific: The SAFE Pacific project is funded by the European Union and implemented by SPC to support greater economic integration in the region. SAFE Pacific provides targeted assistance to support small Pacific Island countries in increasing export capacity and improving economic growth. SAFE Pacific is implemented across 15 Pacific countries including Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, PNG, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'We show up': Pacific leaders apply pressure at oceans summit
Nowhere is humanity's exploitation of the oceans more starkly illustrated than the Pacific Ocean, where small island nations are fighting to outlast a crisis not of their making. The islands are besieged by rising seas and worsening storms, their coastlines choked in plastic, fishing waters plundered and coral reefs bleached and barren. But they refuse to be victims, pouring whatever resources they can into protecting the seas that sustain their people -- and calling out those not doing their share. This week, Pacific leaders have made some of the boldest commitments at the UN Ocean Conference, challenging wealthier nations to up their game. French Polynesia set the bar high at the outset of the five-day summit in Nice, France, announcing it would create the world's largest marine protected area in the far South Pacific. Within this enormous expanse of five million square kilometres (1.93 million square miles) will be a fully-protected sanctuary, double the size of Sweden, that totally forbids any human activity. Samoa announced nine new marine areas protecting 30 percent of its waters, while Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands unveiled plans for a mammoth joint marine park linking neighbouring Pacific nations. Once completed, they said, this ocean reserve would span six million square kilometres -- an area as vast as the Amazon rainforest. The Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands joined a global call for a pause on deep-sea mining, while four Pacific nations came forward to ratify a treaty to protect the high seas. "We show up by doing -- by taking action -- and not just through talkfests," said Sivendra Michael, permanent secretary at Fiji's environment ministry. - 'Time to act' - Almost as many Pacific heads of state and government turned up in Nice as European ones, making an impression in colourful traditional dress and through the force of their message. The elephant in the room is money, said Coral Pasisi, climate director at the Pacific Community, the region's principal scientific and technical development organisation. Pacific nations receive less than half of one percent of global climate finance, she said, and it can take years for sinking island nations to raise the capital to build a single seawall. Rich nations pledged last year to commit $300 billion a year to developing countries for climate action by 2035. But small island nations are wary, after similar promises have gone unmet. "Sometimes we feel alone in the world," Taivini Teai, environment minister of French Polynesia, told AFP. "But we must pull together and make industrialised countries understand that it is time to act." On stage and in private meetings in Nice, including with French President Emmanuel Macron, Pacific leaders demanded again and again that rich nations help them with actions, not words. "We need to adapt to shield our oceans from further harm. And that means -- plain and simple -- money. And money that we can use," said Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "The gap between what we need and what is available is growing dangerously wide. And this is a security issue for the Pacific." - Listen to us - The oceans summit did not address a lack of progress on phasing out fossil fuels -- deeply frustrating Pacific countries that have rallied to get the contentious issue back on the global agenda. "For the smallest of the countries and the most vulnerable, we have been the boldest and the loudest" on fossil fuels, said Michael of Fiji. Vanuatu's environment minister Ralph Regenvanu said it was "unfortunate" that fossil fuels weren't given sufficient prominence in Nice. "It's the single greatest cause of the damage to the oceans we're seeing now, and we're not talking about it enough," he said. Fed up with climate summits and pleading for action, Vanuatu and its Pacific neighbours are testing if international law can compel countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. For low-lying Tuvalu -- which is already making arrangements to shift its citizens permanently elsewhere -- the sense of urgency could not be greater as the tide laps higher. "I hope they listened to us," said Tuvalu President Feleti Teo, of his appeal in Nice for wealthier governments to come to their aid. np-aag/klm/phz
France 24
12-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
'We show up': Pacific leaders apply pressure at oceans summit
The islands are besieged by rising seas and worsening storms, their coastlines choked in plastic, fishing waters plundered and coral reefs bleached and barren. But they refuse to be victims, pouring whatever resources they can into protecting the seas that sustain their people -- and calling out those not doing their share. This week, Pacific leaders have made some of the boldest commitments at the UN Ocean Conference, challenging wealthier nations to up their game. French Polynesia set the bar high at the outset of the five-day summit in Nice, France, announcing it would create the world's largest marine protected area in the far South Pacific. Within this enormous expanse of five million square kilometres (1.93 million square miles) will be a fully-protected sanctuary, double the size of Sweden, that totally forbids any human activity. Samoa announced nine new marine areas protecting 30 percent of its waters, while Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands unveiled plans for a mammoth joint marine park linking neighbouring Pacific nations. Once completed, they said, this ocean reserve would span six million square kilometres -- an area as vast as the Amazon rainforest. The Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands joined a global call for a pause on deep-sea mining, while four Pacific nations came forward to ratify a treaty to protect the high seas. "We show up by doing -- by taking action -- and not just through talkfests," said Sivendra Michael, permanent secretary at Fiji's environment ministry. 'Time to act' Almost as many Pacific heads of state and government turned up in Nice as European ones, making an impression in colourful traditional dress and through the force of their message. The elephant in the room is money, said Coral Pasisi, climate director at the Pacific Community, the region's principal scientific and technical development organisation. Pacific nations receive less than half of one percent of global climate finance, she said, and it can take years for sinking island nations to raise the capital to build a single seawall. Rich nations pledged last year to commit $300 billion a year to developing countries for climate action by 2035. But small island nations are wary, after similar promises have gone unmet. "Sometimes we feel alone in the world," Taivini Teai, environment minister of French Polynesia, told AFP. "But we must pull together and make industrialised countries understand that it is time to act." On stage and in private meetings in Nice, including with French President Emmanuel Macron, Pacific leaders demanded again and again that rich nations help them with actions, not words. "We need to adapt to shield our oceans from further harm. And that means -- plain and simple -- money. And money that we can use," said Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "The gap between what we need and what is available is growing dangerously wide. And this is a security issue for the Pacific." Listen to us The oceans summit did not address a lack of progress on phasing out fossil fuels -- deeply frustrating Pacific countries that have rallied to get the contentious issue back on the global agenda. "For the smallest of the countries and the most vulnerable, we have been the boldest and the loudest" on fossil fuels, said Michael of Fiji. Vanuatu's environment minister Ralph Regenvanu said it was "unfortunate" that fossil fuels weren't given sufficient prominence in Nice. "It's the single greatest cause of the damage to the oceans we're seeing now, and we're not talking about it enough," he said. Fed up with climate summits and pleading for action, Vanuatu and its Pacific neighbours are testing if international law can compel countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. For low-lying Tuvalu -- which is already making arrangements to shift its citizens permanently elsewhere -- the sense of urgency could not be greater as the tide laps higher. "I hope they listened to us," said Tuvalu President Feleti Teo, of his appeal in Nice for wealthier governments to come to their aid.
