https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/01/24...r-warning/
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Hawaii State Department of Health sent warnings about a travel-related dengue fever case to some Hawaii Kai residents.
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Hawaii State Department of Health sent warnings about a travel-related dengue fever case to some Hawaii Kai residents.
On Tuesday, some residents on Lunalilo Home Road got notices from the department of a confirmed travel-related case of dengue virus. Malia Marquez found a letter taped to her gate and said her neighbors got it too.
“I wanted to make sure it was valid or not, but getting a notification like that just stuck to your gate kind of takes your breath away, thinking this is a serious matter,” said Marquez.
“It caught me by surprise,” she added.
The letter doesn’t mention a street or neighborhood and only says the case is in Honolulu.
In a news release Thursday, the state Department of Health said the travel-related case on Oahu was the first of 2025.
Matthew Kurano, administrator of the Department of Health’s Environmental Health Services Division and acting branch chief of the Vector Control Branch, told Hawaii News Now health personnel responded to the scene of the area.
“Our teams are actually very aggressive about getting the word out there about all the things that can be done to reduce the possibility for people to get sick,” said Kurano.
“We really want to protect the privacy of the patient,” he added.
Dengue is spread by infected mosquitoes. It’s a viral disease that can cause fever, severe headaches, eye pain, joint and muscle pain, and rash. It can be mild to severe with cases that can be life-threatening.
Health officials say they may spray with pesticides and help residents look for areas around their home where there’s standing water. After heavy rains, small amounts of water can linger.
The Department of Health says especially be on the look out for old tires which can collect water and be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
“There’s lot of standing water on certain things so we we have to be extra precautious,” said Marquez.
The health department said there were 16 confirmed dengue cases in 2024.
If you have questions about dengue virus, you can contact DOH’s Vector Control Branch.
https://health.hawaii.gov/vcb/