Outbreak Overview
On Friday, December 7, 2018, the Palau Ministry of Health alerted the public of an outbreak of dengue fever following the first ever laboratory confirmation of two cases with dengue serotype-3. This poses a significant concern for public health as the whole population is potentially vulnerable to infection.
In response to the outbreak, the Ministry of Health activated its emergency response team on December 7, 2018. The team has been tasked with raising community awareness of the outbreak and dengue prevention measures, conducting disease surveillance and reporting, strengthening environmental control measures, and ensuring adequate resources are available to combat the outbreak.
Between August 26 – September 1, 2019, there were 26 new cases reported. This brings the total from December 1, 2018 - September 1, 2019 to 570 cases.
There have been two deaths attributed to dengue infection during this outbreak.