Deaths spark alert in Samoas

PAGO PAGO – American Samoa’s Department of Health is carrying out further testing to determine if there’s a new type of dengue fever present in the territory following confirmation that two people died from dengue last month.

The Department’s epidemiologist Scott Anesi says they are gathering more information about the two deaths to help with their investigation.

Anesi says they are looking at their age groups, villages, correlation of where they worked, shop or went to school to seeing if there are similarities with the dengue virus occurring in the island countries where there have been recent outbreaks.

He says the deaths are unusual because of the sudden deterioration from flu-like symptoms.

“What we are trying to see is if there’s maybe possible co-infections as we are still in the outbreak of the flu or if its a serotype that we haven’t seen in the territory before.”

The names of the villages of the two people who died from dengue last month, a 37-year-old man and a ten-month-old baby had not been disclosed.

Meanwhile, three people suspected to have dengue fever were admitted to the LBJ Hospital on Thursday.

LBJ’s Infection Prevention nurse Sharmaine Mageo says the three were admitted so they can be closely monitored.

She also says a 16-year-old girl who had symptoms of the disease passed away last week, and the hospital is sending samples off-island for confirmation of the girl’s cause of death.

In neighbouring Samoa, a public alert for dengue fever was issued Friday afternoon by the Minister of Health after the confirmation at least two people died from the disease American Samoa.