Governor responds to Hawaii island dengue state of emergency
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi declared a state of emergency today over the dengue fever outbreak on the Big Island.
Gov. David Ige says his office supports Hawaii county’s efforts to stop the dengue fever outbreak on the Big Island, but he’s not ready to issue an emergency proclamation.
Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi declared a state of emergency today.
The emergency proclamation stated that there have been 250 confirmed cases of dengue fever on Hawaii island since Oct. 29 and that state and county officials are working on mosquito control and public education measures to break the cycle of dengue infection and transmission.
The mayor said the state of emergency is needed to prevent the spread of the outbreak and eliminate dengue fever virus from the island.
The immediate effect of the proclamation is to suspend a county law that prohibits the acceptance of tires at county landfills.
The emergency period is in effect for 60 days and could be extended.
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Ige said in a news release that the state will issue an emergency proclamation if certain conditions are met, including requiring additional resources beyond current levels; the outbreak spreading to other islands; the outbreak expands to include zika and other diseases; if there’s a need to waive laws and regulations; and if the state needs federal assistance.
The governor’s office is working to release $250,000 restricted in the budget to fund eight vector control positions, an entomologist and a communications person and has already released $250,000 to fund other costs to respond to the dengue outbreak, the news release said.
39 responses to “Governor responds to Hawaii island dengue state of emergency”
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What a great photo of Billy!
ALL THIS is abut control of Hawaii’s Natural Resources. In this case–WATER. If you had been following; the BLM and DLNR want control of all the water on THE BIG ISLAND. And, all of that is about “UNITED NATIONS “AGENDA-21(2035)”” Meaning UN WORLDWIDE CONTROL. GOOGLE-IT! READ IT! Each year OUR GOVERNMENT keeps chipping-away to exact that control. That’s really what OREGON AND MAUNA KEA are really about (the masquerade is the TELESCOPE). They have you debating over their subterfuges–while they continue to STEAL ALL PUBLIC LANDS. They have you focused on FALSE TOPICS. “GOVERNMENT” creates the viruses and you’re busy swatting mosquitoes. You are CONTROLLED MICE in a “SKINNER-BOX” (Operant Conditioning”).
Incompetent state government, just completely unbelievable. Ige doesn’t seem worried, apparently dengue isn’t a problem for him until it comes to Oahu and spreads like wildfire. Had they quarantined the first to get sick, this situation would be done already. No way you’re going to wipe out the mosquito population on the big island no matter how much poison you spray.
Totally agree with saywhatyouthink. When it goes to Oahu than he will do something about it, Ige p-p-i-s-s-e-s me off to no end. This is one time I would wish Dengue on someone and that is He getting it and going through the pain of having it.
“Waiting for ZIka” sounds like a bad movie title, to me. It’s unconscionable what Ige’s doing.
I guess Hawai’i party voters would rather be sorry then address the problem at hand, cause it’s not under control.
now that he is not hitting those korean bars on our tax dollars, billy bob has sure put on some poundage………..
I guess the bicycle and surfboard wasn’t for him to get his exercise.
Billy is still in office? Yikes. Guess he kept his mouth shut and kept out of the media in hopes people would forget. I knew the monopoly party thuggish leaders would protect him as long as he kept his mouth closed.
LOL. Major, major announcement. State of Emergency to outlaw tires at the landfills. Is that the best we can do? P-Cards, Tires, what’s next?
Billy, do you know how many Korean bars went broke now that you’re not a frequent visitor?
yobo say no?
no!
Is he doing this because Obama is declaring a state of emergency to initiate an influx of federal monies? Did Rep Gabbard demand Ige declare a state of emergency to kickstart Federal action earlier so she can help. I seem to believe we have the situation under control when you imagine a progress chart showing decreasing numbers of infection with time. Entomologists, medical, and health advisers probably already know what to do and are patiently waiting for the infections to decrease to nothing like it did on Oahu not to many months ago after patients were identified and quarantined with mozzie control steps taken. Should forget mosquito eradication on the Big Island. Too much forests and wild animals and birds to feed the insects. Too many naturally occurring pools of water for breeding. Cannot put soap in every water puddle and shouldn’t as animals need water to drink. Too bad Dengue is not a highly fatal disease like Ebola otherwise we’d really take decisive action to control it. Dengue is just practice for the coming Zika plague. Image that. God creates a disease that is spread by mozzies, sex, semen, saliva, blood transfusions, and others ways we have yet to discover. Why did Zika happen? Is it like Ebola where God punishes Man for cutting down his forests and eating his beautiful pets? If so then let the diseases rage and let’s NOT help them fight it. Reducing human overpopulation is good. Be thankful for war, famine, pestilence, and disease.
Regarding Zika, the latest health reports from Brazil shows of 4,000 cases of pregnant women with Zika only 6 has strong links to microcephaly, children born with small heads. To date, there is no link or connection between Zika and microcphaly. Check it yourself. There is something strange about this so called Zika epidemic because there is no proven connection. Yes, why did Zika happen, since it has been around since 1947?
1947? Like Ebola, Chika, encephalitis diseases, Zika lies dormant in the rain forests until deforesters arrive and unleash God’s anger. More diseases out there just waiting for a reason to pop out of hibernation. Heavenly boogie traps.
I read some of the information and yes, there might not be a direct link between Zika virus and a ‘shrunken baby head’ however if the mother is infected the Zika virus can pass through the placental membrane and do some type of serious central nervous system or other developmental type of damage to the growing fetus. No matter if Zika does not automatically cause a smaller head, the potential damage by the virus to the fetus is a really bad situation. Racoon is probably accurate, in past generations Zika exploded, then subsided when the affected population could not effectively reproduce in sufficient numbers for the next generation and therefore remained dormant until a new set of humans in another generation get afflicted with the virus and the disease starts exploding again. Raccoon is also right this type of flare up of previous or mutated diseases is probably related to homeostatic forces of the earth with the effect top predator humans have on earth resources which are FINITE. Man made global climate change of unnaturally increasing the amount of total energy trapped in earth’s atmosphere will probably ki ll way more humans when combined with Zika, HIV and the rest of those type of illnesses (or toxins like the contaminated water in Michigan), through sax, transmitted in the water or air or by insects, in the not too distant future. Point in time temperatures in not the issue, rather the increase in intensity and frequency of hurricanes, typhoons, mud slides, flooding, etc.
Apparently you can buy your own Zika virus. http://www.atcc.org/products/all/VR-84.aspx
You are one SICK PUPPY! Get help you need it.
Sure took him awhile. Should have been done a long time ago.
What a poorly written article. Besides tires, what else does the emergency declaration allow the County to do to stop the spread of dengue fever??
SA who wrote this article. Was it some high school newspaper wannabe??
You guys need to do a better job instead of relying on news fed to you by corporate headquarters.
Just tires. Read the Declaration. Tiring example of P Leadership.
Where was Billy hiding?
I guess the Attorney General is still investigating ‘Billy’s’ illegal P-Card usage. Even with all the evidence provided. Auwe.
He has taken the initiative to FINALLY come forward to report a Dengue fever epidemic that commenced since Oct.29, 2015. 3 mths?
At what point in time should a mayor declare a state of emergency ? 50 cases of Dengue, 100, 150, 200 ? Nope, 250.
This declaration should have come from the State Department of Health via the Governor, not a Mayor. But I suppose Ige is too busy with whatever it is that he does.
Is this guy still mayor? I thought he got fired for stealing. What a big joke the city and county is. What type of message is the C & C sending to people. No one is going to listen to this guys. His credibility is not worth a penny. He is the biggest joke that ever walk the earth.
agree
Caldwell not to far behind.
I wonder if these Emergency Declarations get to the tourist industry and/or the State department for travel???? If so, it’s something to think about with our only revenue stream in jeopardy!!!
it’s bad enough tourists were some of the Dengue victims. I’ve read that people cancelled their BI trips because of it so anything like this will help imo showing gov’t actually cares and is trying to do more. appearances are everything
Here on the Big Island we know better than to expect competence or honesty from Billy Kenoi. We also know that the monopoly party will not let the AG investigation really get anywhere. That is why he stood there with Ige just a few days ago acting like everything was just fine. Ige: “You don’t say anything about how badly my state health guys handled the epidemic, and I won’t let the attorney general indict you.” Kenoi: “Yes sir!”
NOTICE THE GUN BEHIND THE CURTAIN AIMED AT MARIN’S BACK…
Ige will declare it an emergency when it start spreading to the other islands. What a joke its to late when it start spreading. Can’t belive a family member campaigned for this guy.
OMG! You have to wait until it spreads? I will have a newly wed couple coming from Europe later in the year and they will be visiting every island. Now I have to examine my conscience about what to tell them about the Big Island. They have already made plans, for instance, the zip line. What would any of you suggest? I am really conflicted. I hope and pray that the Zika virus isn’t here by then and that they won’t be pregnant when they arrive.
Tell them when they hit the Big Island to spray lots of bug repellant with Deet on themselves and keep track of the Big Island hotpsots on their behalf and tell them to avoid those areas. I think there is a website that shows where the hotpsots are. Volcanoes national park is a nice place for visitors and don’t think it is a Dengue hotspot, Waimea with its higher elevation and no exposed water catchment system in the town itself I think is also safe. The places to avoid are definitely where there are lot of exposed water catchment systems for mosquitos to breed
Another Ige-noramous moment. Gutless, no c-a-j-o-l-e-s! One term Gov.
Break out the Malathian and DDT and START SPRAYING.
Big weiner stands next to little weiner, Ige, a complete embarassment to Hawaii and to America.
Gm mosquitos are the only viable option in the 21st century. Let’s be the first and tourism will not be affected in fact in the.long run we.will be ahead of other destinations. How about a first ,in the world, for Hawaii?
The headline is seriously misleading. It should say “Governor Ige ignores Big Island dengue emergency.” The Governor’s usual response to most problems.