Epidemic and emerging disease alerts in the Pacific 17 September ...

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Highlights/updates since the last map was sent on PacNet on 10 September 2024:

Dengue

French Polynesia: In EpiWeek 36, six new dengue cases were confirmed out of 37 samples tested, including 2 residents in Tahiti, 2 residents in Moorea and 2 residents in Nuku-Hiva. The total number of reported cases is 141 (128 confirmed cases and 13 probable cases) since November 27, 2023. Among the recent cases, no case was hospitalised in Week 36. DENV-2 has been identified in 58% of the cases. However, serotype 1 has been detected for the first time in Paea and Moorea, with no epidemiological link to the previous DENV-1 cases reported between EpiWeek 25 and 31 in Nuku-Hiva. The alert phase is maintained, with active dengue circulation in Tahiti, Moorea and Nuku-Hiva. The blue alert is maintained. – Source: Bulletin de surveillance sanitaire de Polynésie française n°36 - 2024 shared with PPHSN focal point on 17 September 2024.

Pertussis

French Polynesia: Between 14 June and 11 September, 101 confirmed cases of pertussis were reported. In EpiWeek 36, 16 new cases were notified, including 15 residents in Tahiti and one resident in Rikitea (Gambier Islands) who was in Tahiti 10 days prior to onset of symptoms. As of 11 September (in EpiWeek 37) seven new cases were recorded. Out of the cases investigated, six children required hospitalisation, including four infants aged 3 months or younger. The red alert is maintained. – Source: Bulletin de surveillance sanitaire de Polynésie française n°36 - 2024 shared with PPHSN focal point on 17 September 2024. New Caledonia: As of 16 September, 33 cases of pertussis have been reported since April 2024. Since the beginning of September, 12 cases have been notified, with the most recent case dated 13 September 2024. Children aged 0 to 14 years make up 28% of the cases, with the youngest being 4 years old, while no cases have been observed in children under 6 months. The Southern Province has the highest number of reported cases, representing 52.4% of the total, but the incidence is highest in the Loyalty Islands Province, which accounts for 33.3% of cases despite having a much smaller population. The red alert is maintained. – Source: Coqueluche | Direction des Affaires Sanitaires et Sociales de Nouvelle-Calédonie (gouv.nc) accessed on 17 September 2024.

Other Information:

Chikungunya

Réunion Island (Indian Ocean): As of September 12, the Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS) La Réunion reported a fifth locally transmitted case of chikungunya in Saint-Louis, with no travel history and unrelated to the previous four cases in Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, prompting vector control teams to respond in both areas. By September 13, a sixth case was confirmed in Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, and ARS continues to urge the population across the island to protect themselves from mosquito bites, eliminate standing water, and seek medical attention at the first sign of symptoms.La Réunion previously experienced a large chikungunya outbreak between March 2005 and April 2006, which infected a third of the population and caused approximately 260 excess deaths, particularly among the elderly. The virus likely reached the island through human activities and was driven by its adaptation to the local mosquito species, Aedes albopictus, which played a key role in its rapid spread (DOI: 10.3201/eid1212.060710 & 10.1016/s1473-3099(06)70559-x).– Source: Un cinquième cas de chikungunya survenu à Saint-Louis | Agence Régionale de Santé La Réunion (sante.fr) and https://www.lareunion.ars.sante.fr/un-sixieme-cas-de-chikungunya-signale-saint-gilles-les-bains-0 accessed on 17 September 2024.

Mpox

New Zealand: As 12 September 2024, five cases of mpox linked to the recent Winter Pride Festival in Queenstown have been confirmed, all identified as Clade II. Every mpox case reported in New Zealand since 2022 has been classified as Clade II.– Source: Further mpox cases confirmed after Winter Pride Festival in Queenstown – Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora accessed on 17 September 2024.

Pertussis

Australia: As of September 17, 2024, Australia has recorded a significant resurgence in pertussis cases, with a total of 28,019 notifications, the highest number since 2015 when 22,571 cases were reported. The largest number of cases has been reported in New South Wales (13,316 cases), followed by Queensland (8,869 cases) and Victoria (3,817 cases). This sharp increase follows a period of reduced cases during the COVID-19 pandemic years (2020-2022), with a notably low total of 483 cases in 2022. In New South Wales, notifications have surged since 2023, reaching their highest levels since 2009, with children aged 5-14 being the most affected group, experiencing over 600 notifications per week since February 2024. South Australia is also facing a significant whooping cough surge in cases in 2024, with 578 cases reported, marking a six-year high and contributing to the nationwide total. – Source: Dashboard · NINDSS Portal (health.gov.au), NSW respiratory surveillance - COVID-19 and influenza - COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and Weekly update - acute respiratory infection activity in Tasmania | Tasmanian Department of Health accessed on 17 September 2024. Guam: As of September 12, 2024, the Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) received a laboratory-confirmed report of Pertussis (whooping cough). This is the first locally detected case since 2019. – Source: Department of Public Health and Social Services – Press Release PR24-73, September 12, 2024.