SUVA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Fiji has recorded 2,589 dengue fever cases and the Ministry of Health's concerted effort to curb the spread of dengue has seen extra resources being deployed to hospitals and clinics around the country, the government announced Wednesday.
Authorities were working in coordination to provide medical assistance to hospitals and clinics in urban, rural and remote communities although the majority of cases has been recorded in the central division, where the capital of Suva is located.
The health ministry has established a task force that largely includes international health agencies which is designed to monitor the spread of the dengue virus and analyze current trends, according to the Ministry of Information.
The health ministry continued to emphasize the importance of destroying mosquito breeding areas and using repellents and mosquito nets as a means of protection against dengue carrying mosquitoes.
Spraying of insecticide is a preventative measure being undertaken by the health ministry since late last year and it continues in many areas, especially in Suva.
Meanwhile, the Fijian government has said that there is " minimal risk to visitors from an outbreak of dengue fever" in certain parts of the country, and while a total of 2,589 Fijians have tested positive to the mosquito-borne disease, "no international visitor is among the confirmed cases."
By far the most number of cases - 1,635 - are in the central division around Suva. International visitors, like the locals, are being advised to take the usual precautions, including the use of mosquito repellent and the lighting of coils and pads, said the government.
Dengue fever is caused by the dengue virus and the virus is spread from dengue infected individuals to well dengue-free persons by the black-and-white striped female Aedes aegypti mosquito when it takes a blood meal.
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