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Public urged to protect from mosquito borne diseases

reporters@samoanews.com

With American Samoa in the midst of a rainy season, Department of Health has urged residents to keep their surroundings clean, especially areas where mosquitoes breed as there are still mosquito borne diseases affecting American Samoa such as dengue fever and Zika.

DoH official Tamasoali’i Dr. Joseph Tufa told Samoa News that the number of suspected Zika cases has gone up and that the territory is still affected with mosquito borne diseases. “Its very important that residents remember to always protect themselves from these mosquito borne diseases,” especially now with a lot of rain, he said.

DOH’s latest data released yesterday shows that while the number of suspected Zika cases has increased slightly, there are no new confirmed cases before Dec. 8th.

In yesterday’s data, DOH says that as of Dec. 15th, there are 1,026 Zika suspected cases (compared to 1,015 Zika suspected cases as of Dec. 8th).

As of Dec. 15th there are still 61 Zika case confirmed through laboratory testing and of the total confirmed cases, 27 are pregnant women. (These are the same numbers as of Dec. 8th.)

The public is also reminded of the 3-Ds: Drain water, defend yourself by using mosquito repellent containing DEET, and Dress protectively.

Meanwhile, DoH again advises residents when it comes to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, which continues to be a major disease affecting local residents, to exercise, eat fresh fruits and vegetables and “stay healthy” — especially in light of holiday celebrations.