There's hope in Solomon Islands that the worst of the country's dengue outbreak is now over. .

The National Referral Hospital in Honiara says they've recorded a 50 per cent drop in dengue admissions since the outbreak started.

Although there's still concern about whether the hospital's blood bank has enough supplies to cope with such an outbreak.

So far the number of dengue-related deaths stands at six.

Presenter: Richard Ewart

Speaker: Alfred Dofai, director, National Medical Laboratory, Solomon Islands

AusAID Director General Peter Baxter visited Solomon Islands’ National Referral Hospital this week to meet the Australian medical team assisting local health authorities to combat a major outbreak of dengue fever.

Health officials estimate there have been more than 3,700 cases of suspected dengue since late January, putting significant strain on the country’s health resources.

The dengue outbreak in the Solomon Islands continues to spread, and health authorities are struggling to find sufficient money to help combat the epidemic.

A fourth death has now been reported, along with a sharp increase in cases of the mosquito-borne disease.

Presenter:Geraldine Cootes

Speaker: Dr Lester Ross, Permanent Secretary for the Solomon Islands Ministry of Health

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15 Apr 2013 - Since January 2013, approximately 1,970 suspected and confirmed dengue cases and three deaths have been reported. More than 1,800 of the cases were reported in Honiara. The others are in Gizo in Western Province and in Guadalcanal Province.

Link: Dengue Fever Outbreak: Information Bulletin n° 1

It's been more than four months since the first outbreak of dengue fever was reported in Solomon Islands.

Solomons dengue outbreak blamed on unusual virus strain (Credit: ABC)

Since then, the virus has continued to spread, and as of last week, there were more than 2,500 suspected cases.

HONIARA, Solomon Islands, Apr 8 2013 (IPS) - The Solomon Islands, a developing island nation in the south-west Pacific Islands, has one of the highest urbanisation rates in the region, and the basic service infrastructure is struggling to cater for the influx of people from the provinces to the capital, Honiara. Thirty-five percent of the city’s population, who live in informal settlements, are facing the health consequences of a dire shortage of clean water and sanitation.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr today announced that Australia has sent a medical team to Solomon Islands to assist with the dengue fever outbreak.

Senator Carr said the Australian Government has agreed to provide the National Referral Hospital in Honiara and provincial hospitals with additional staff following a request for assistance from the Solomon Islands Government.

"An initial assessment team were deployed to Solomon Islands earlier this week to evaluate the situation," Senator Carr said.

On 6 February 2013, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake set off a small but powerful tsunami that sent 1.5-metre waves roaring inland on Santa Cruz Island, a remote area in the Solomon Islands archipelago of the Pacific. Nearly 40 per cent of the houses on the island were either damaged or destroyed and an estimated 60 per cent of the population was affected. OCHA’s Rashmi Rita travelled from Fiji to the Solomon Islands to support the emergency response on one of the first flights that was able to land.

Thirty days after a remote region of Solomon Islands was hit by an earthquake and tsunami, permanent housing and sanitation still pose a challenge.

The National Disaster Management Office in Honiara says over USD $25 million have been raised by government, international donors and local communities.

The magnitude 8.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck on February 6 claimed 10 lives and displaced over 4500 people.