American Samoa officials battle dengue

In American Samoa, the directors of the Department of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Community College Land Grant Program are spearheading efforts to help stop the spread of dengue fever.

They are calling church, government, community and the media to a meeting with Governor Togiola to propose solutions on how to address the dengue epidemic.

A letter from the directors says dengue has claimed the life of a child, affected a confirmed 600 people in the territory, and has now reached pandemic proportions in the Pacific Basin, Radio New Zealand International reports.

They say it cannot be controlled unless there’s a community effort to stop the spread of the disease, which is carried by mosquitoes.

The agencies have planned a major campaign that includes an island wide clean up, increased publicity about prevention of dengue and poster competitions.

The Health Department and the LBJ Hospital have already been promoting the three Ds - dress appropriately, drain water and use repellent .