With the rainy season upon us, the Ministry of Health is urging and advising all people to be aware of the rise in Dengue Fever Cases in Fiji especially in the Western and Northern Divisions.

Looking at statistics, an outbreak of dengue fever in Nadi and Ba where 312 confirmed cases in the Western Division has been recorded since the beginning of this year. A total of 140 admissions have been recorded so far this year in the Western Division and of these, 51 were admitted at Ba Mission Hospital, 54 at Nadi Subdivisional Hospital, 10 in Sigatoka, and 25 at Lautoka Divisional Hospital.

It has also been revealed by the Health Ministry that a total of 862 confirmed dengue cases have been recorded in Fiji from the period of 1st January to 16th February 2018, giving an incidence rate of 48.5 per 100,000 population. Northern has recorded 509 confirmed cases while the Western division has recorded 312 cases.

Meanwhile, not only the Western and Northern Division have been affected. The Central division has recorded 41 confirmed dengue cases. Although, the majority of admissions have been in Nadi and Ba with each receiving approximately 10 patients per week.

The symptoms of dengue fever, which typically begin 5 to 7 days after being infected by a dengue virus-carrying mosquito, include the sudden onset of high fever with severe headache, pain behind the eyes/eye socket, joint pains, muscle pains, tiredness, nausea, vomiting, or skin rash. The symptoms can last 3‑7 days before you start to feel better.