Tonga’s Zika cases increase

NUKU‘ALOFA – Tonga’s Zika surveillance unit has recorded 549 Zika cases up to Monday – including seven cases that were confirmed by laboratory blood tests, said Chief Medical Officer for Public Health, Dr Reynold ‘Ofanoa.

A national clean up campaign in collaboration with Tonga Red Cross and the military started this week to eliminate the breeding sites for the mosquitoes that spread the virus.

Of the seven confrimed cases, two were confirmed in Tonga and five cases were reported from New Zealand in people who had travelled to Tonga and became sick when they returned to New Zealand where they tested positive for Zika.

“None of these seven confirmed cases are pregnant women,” Ofanoa said, but these seven were mostly female.

“However, this week we have identified there are three pregnant women whom we suspect to have Zika virus, this is from the signs and symptoms they presented with.”

The blood tests of these pregnant women will be sent to Tahiti and they expect it will take approximately two-weeks before they get results.

He said Tonga’s first confirmed Zika case was in January this year.

“We started to see a rise in cases with acute fever and rash during the first week of January. We then saw an increase in the number of cases until now. We declared the Zika epidemic on February 1, 2016.

Dr ‘Ofanoa said most cases were on Tongatapu. “We do see cases in Vava‘u, Ha‘apai and ‘Eua but probably not to the extent as we have here in Tongatapu.”

Public Health officials are responding to the outbreak with spraying in targeted places throughout Tongatapu. “

The Public Health department is starting to run community awareness programs on television and radio, and developing pamphlets, and posters.

“For pregnant mothers if they suspect they have the symptoms it’s important for them to seek medical care so they can be assisted,” Dr ‘Ofanoa said. - MT