Acting Director General Tagaloa Dr Robert Thomsen has confirmed there is a presence of dengue fever cases in the Country, but minimal.
The evidence does not suggest the Country will experience an outbreak.
He said in June there were six dengue cases recorded. These viruses usually arise after rainy seasons and flooding and the need to look out for mosquito breeding places.
During the press conference on Wednesday, Tagaloa said the hospital’s “surveillance team” are on the watch for any new viruses but recently they have seen diarrhea cases, along with acute fever and rash.
Regarding the flu, the Acting Director General says it’s too early to predict when the flu cases will peak.
In the last three weeks, an average of 250 people have been confirmed to have the flu on a daily basis.
This data does not include members of the public that are sick at home, just people that have visited the doctors for treatment, in the main hospitals, in Upolu and Savaii along with private clinics.
Tagaloa said that most people are infected with Influenza B that’s circulating.
“The reason the flu has prolonged in the Country is that people who contracted Influenza B can easily get Influenza A.
The Influenza B virus is highly contagious and its symptoms are quite severe, which include fever, headache, and coughing while the Respiratory Syncytial Virus is mostly asthma affecting children and elderly people.
He said the data predicts that in the next few weeks the Country will see a decrease in the number of flu cases.
But with the opening of international borders, the Acting Director General said to expect a second surge, not only with the flu but also with Covid-19.
