State and county health teams surveyed the Maui north shore community of Haiku on Friday looking for mosquito breeding areas and further evidence of illness following discovery of a probable case of Zika virus.
If the case is confirmed, it will be the second incidence of Zika virus announced in the islands this week and the third in the state this year.
Health officials Friday announced that the suspected case was brought to Maui by a resident who became ill while traveling in Latin America and returned to the Valley Isle in February.
While initial lab tests were inconclusive, they did suggest a high probability of Zika and the need for additional testing.
“Because the lab results thus far point to the high probability of Zika, we are taking this very seriously,” said Dr. Lorrin Pang, Maui County district health officer.
Four teams of state Department of Health and Maui County staff and volunteers surveyed an area of about 50 houses Thursday and Friday. Mosquito breeding areas were treated with a mixture of soapy water, and officials went door to door looking for anyone who may have been sick.
Although a number of people had the flu and others didn’t feel well because of the vog, none appeared to have a mosquito-borne virus, including Zika and dengue fever.
One suspicious illness still needs to be checked out, but Pang said he’s confident the suspected Zika case has been isolated for now.
He said he’s hoping to hold a community meeting Monday to further inform Haiku residents of the need to take precautions against mosquito-borne viruses.
“We need the public’s help in preventing the spread of the virus so that we don’t get locally transmitted cases. The best way to do this is to eliminate mosquito breeding sites and make sure people avoid getting mosquito bites,” he said.
Hawaii island’s locally acquired dengue fever outbreak, spread by the same kind of mosquitoes as Zika, reached 263 confirmed cases as of Friday. Although the number of cases has slowed over the past several weeks, officials caution that residents should remain vigilant to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.
Health officials say both dengue and Zika, which is linked to birth defects, are spread when a mosquito bites a sick person and later bites another person. Zika can also be transmitted through sexual contact if a man has been infected. Some who have Zika do not show symptoms. For others the illness might last several days to more than a week.
“If you receive a flyer or letter from the Department of Health, please be sure to read the information carefully, as this public health issue affects us all,” Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa said in a news release. “This is the time for our community to step up efforts to ‘fight the bite,’ by seeing a doctor if you have even mild symptoms, especially if you have traveled to parts of the world where there are outbreaks of these viruses.”
On Kauai a health team Monday surveyed for mosquitoes around the home of a Kauai resident who recently traveled to Latin America and contracted the Zika virus.
Previously, the Health Department reported March 3 that a Hawaii resident got the virus while traveling in the Pacific. Travel-related Zika cases numbered four in 2015 and two in 2014.
The public is advised that anyone who has traveled outside the country and has symptoms such as fever, joint pain, rash or pinkeye to see their physician.
On Hawaii island, meanwhile, state vector control teams are surveying and treating areas near the venues where the Merrie Monarch Festival will be held this weekend: the Afook Chinen Civic Auditorium and the Edith Kanakaole Stadium.
“People from all over the world come to Hawaii to celebrate the tradition of hula during the Merrie Monarch Festival, so we are doing our due diligence and taking proactive measures now to reduce the risks of both imported and local cases of mosquito-borne illnesses,” said Keith Kawaoka, deputy director of environmental health, in a news release.
