HILO — Thursday afternoon’s update from the Department of Health revealed that only a single additional case of dengue fever had been added to the ongoing tally of confirmed cases identified in Hawaii. Thirty-four cases have now been identified, with onset of illness ranging between Sept. 11 and Nov. 2.
Meanwhile, state health officials work to contain the Big Island’s dengue fever outbreak, residents and county agencies are prepping to better fend off infected mosquitoes.
The state Department of Health on Thursday continued training sessions for workers with the Hawaii County departments of Public Works and Parks and Recreation on how to spray areas with insecticide, said Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira.
“Aqua-Reslin is a regulated product that can only be sold to and applied under the direction of the state Vector Control office,” he said. “We’re training county parks and public works staff to complement and enhance the Department of Health’s capacity … and it will allow parks and public works personnel to treat their own facilities if needed.”
Currently, the only spraying being done on the island is by Department of Health Vector Control workers, of which there are only four based on Hawaii Island.
A total of 14 Parks and Recreation workers underwent the training on Thursday, according to department spokesman Jason Armstrong. They were being trained as both applicators and as trainers to train other employees.
“Right now, we’re relying on the state Health Department. They’re taking the lead in this matter,” he said. “They’re providing the training, the equipment and the insecticide.”
There are no current plans for the parks department to spray its own facilities, except for those identified by the Department of Health as potential exposure sites for the disease, he said.
Oliveira said that Hookena Beach Park was being sprayed for the second time on Thursday, as a follow-up to the application which initially closed the popular park last week. It remains closed.
Meanwhile, the county is taking precautions to eliminate standing water at county properties and parks, Olivera said.