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Epidemic and emerging disease alerts in the Pacific as of 09 July 2024

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Highlights/updates since the last map was sent on PacNet on 02 July 2024:

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

  • Hawai'i: From 25 June to 1st July, 986 additional COVID-19 cases have been reported. The data indicates a decrease from 17.9% to 16.1% average test positivity rate and 148 average daily COVID-19 cases statewide over the 7-day period. An average of 99 hospitalisations were reported between June 27 – July 3. Additionally, there were nine patients in ICU beds and nine reported deaths. The Department of Health Respiratory Disease Dashboard shows that COVID-19 activity is still at an elevated level, indicating that the virus is circulating at high levels compared with historic trends. The red alert for COVID-19 is maintained. – Source: Disease Outbreak Control Division | COVID-19 | State of Hawai'i - Department of Health (hawaii.gov) accessed on 09 July 2024.

Dengue

  • French Polynesia: In EpiWeek 26, eight new dengue cases were confirmed out of 40 samples tested. As of July 3rd, one additional case was reported in EpiWeek 27, bringing the total number of reported cases to 71 (64 confirmed cases and 7 probable cases) since November 27, 2023. Among the last reported cases, three were hospitalised. No death was reported during this period. The majority of cases live in Tahiti (59.15%),with Nuku-Hiva (in the Marquesas archipelago) newly affected. Since EpiWeek 25, five cases of DENV-1 dengue fever have been reported, including four local cases from Nuku Hiva residents and one from a Tahiti resident who visited Nuku Hiva within 15 days before symptom onset, contrasting with DENV-2 invloved in the majority of cases since November 2023. The blue alert is maintained. – Source: Bulletin de surveillance sanitaire de Polynésie française n°26 -2024 shared with PPHSN focal point on 06 July 2024.
  • Samoa: In EpiWeek 26, 10 new lab-confirmed dengue cases were reported, bringing the total to 456 since November 2023. No hospitalisation or death were reported during this period. The most affected age group is 20 to 29 years. The North-West of Upolu (NWU) and Apia Urban Area (AUA) are the most affected areas. Serotype results are still pending. The blue alert is maintained. – Source: Samoa Ministry of Health Dengue Fever Outbreak Situation Report #18, EpiWeek 26 from Dengue Fever Outbreak Situation Report in Samoa - Government of Samoa (samoagovt.ws) accessed on 09 July 2024.

Influenza A

  • French Polynesia: In EpiWeek 26, there were nine new confirmed cases (9 cases of Influenza A and 0 case of Influenza B) out of 86 tests conducted. Among the reported cases, three were hospitalised. No additional death was recorded in EpiWeek 26. Data shows that the Influenza A outbreak is declining. Since April 1st, there have been 375 confirmed influenza cases, with 172 requiring hospitalisation and 10 reported deaths. The blue alert is maintained. – Source: Bulletin de surveillance sanitaire de Polynésie française n°26 -2024 shared with PPHSN focal point on 06 July 2024.

Other Information:

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

  • French Polynesia: In EpiWeek 26, 12 new COVID-19 cases were reported out of 81 tests conducted . The number of confirmed cases and the positivity rate (14.8%) for COVID-19 increased compared to the previous week, with two hospitalisations reported (one infant and one person over 75 years old), but no ICU admission. Sequencing has shown that since May, variants KP.2, KP.3, and KS.1, in addition to JN.1, are circulating in French Polynesia; with KP.2 (a variant from the FliRT family noted for being more contagious) circulating in the United States and Europe. – Source: Bulletin de surveillance sanitaire de Polynésie française n°26 -2024 shared with PPHSN focal point on 06 July 2024.
  • Niue: As of June 28th, there were seven confirmed COVID-19 cases in Niue. The Niue Department of Health urges those with flu-like symptoms to test and report positive results. – Sources: 7 Confirmed Covid-19 Cases – Television Niue (tvniue.com) accessed on 09 July 2024.

Arboviral diseases

  • France: As of July 3rd, 2024 Santé Publique France reported from the 1st May to the 2nd July a total of 719 imported cases of dengue. This includes 621 in the departments where the establishment of Aedes albopictus has been documented; 58% of cases returned from Guadeloupe or Martinique along with 3 imported cases of chikungunya and 1 imported case of Zika. Additionally, an autochthonous case of dengue fever was reported in Pérols, near Montpellier, France, marking the first such case in metropolitan France in 2024, involving a person who had not travelled to endemic areas and making the case for local transmission. – Source: Chikungunya, dengue et zika - Données de la surveillance renforcée en France hexagonale 2024 (santepubliquefrance.fr) accessed on 09 July 2024.

Influenza and other Respiratory Illnesses

  • Australia: Influenza notifications have increased steadily nationally since late April. This trend is predominantly driven by the sharp increase in influenza notifications in New South Wales in the past fortnight, although influenza notifications have increased across most jurisdictions. In New South Wales (NSW), influenza activity is at a high level and continues to increase, with the number of presentations to emergency departments and the number of influenza notifications also increasing. Test positivity rate for influenza has reached 24%. Pertussis and pneumonia continue to be unseasonably high in school-aged children in NSW.​Similar trends are also reported in Queensland (QLD) with 144 people hospitalised with influenza, and 2,666 new cases diagnosed in the EpiWeek 26**.** Other respiratory illnesses are all being reported and under monitoring such as COVID-19 (with a decrease in reported cases in Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia), Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Pneumonia and Pertussis. – Source: Australian Respiratory Surveillance Report 7 – 17 June to 30 June 2024 | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care accessed on 09 July 2024.
  • New Zealand: In EpiWeek 26, Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) surveillance in the Auckland region is currently within the medium seasonal activity range. The SARI hospitalization rate, especially in children under 5, has increased and is higher than usual, primarily driven by Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and rhinovirus infections, with a notable increase in influenza-positive cases compared to recent years. While Influenza A viruses (A/H1 and A/H3) have been prevalent recently, the SARS-CoV-2-positive SARI hospitalisation rate is lower than in the same period in 2022 and 2023. – Source: Respiratory illness dashboard (esr.cri.nz) accessed on 09 July 2024.

Measles

  • Australia, Victoria: On July 3rd, a new case of measles has been identified in a returned overseas traveller who attended multiple public exposure sites in Victoria whilst infectious. The case departed from Singapore Changi Airport on 24th June. There have now been 11 cases of measles reported in Victoria since 1 January 2024. – Source: New measles case in Victoria | health.vic.gov.au accessed on 09 July 2024.

Mpox

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