Island Tobago Townsville, a city in northeastern Queensland, was declared “essentially dengue-free” in 2019. It’s now unfortunately confirmed its first locally-acquired dengue fever case in five years. In a statement, the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service (CHHHS) confirmed that a local resident had contracted the disease. Remarkably, this resident had not left the area. This deeply troubling development is of grave concern. Dengue fever is experiencing a resurgence, especially in one country that had almost completely escaped dengue epidemics in recent years.
In January, the combined case began to show a very distressing trend. By March an unusual cluster of dengue cases started appearing in Townsville. Local health authorities are understandably on high alert, with heightened surveillance and immediate response stings to proactively prevent mosquito populations, manage mosquito populations and stop further transmission.
Local Health Response
Dr. Jacqui Murdoch, public health director of CHHHS, stressed the need for community participation to help control mosquito breeding areas. She stressed the need to remove all standing water from containers such as pot plant trays, buckets and discarded tyres. She used to encourage people to make sure their rain gutters were cleaned out. Her preventative approach seeks to reduce the risk of dengue fever transmission in the area.
Finally, Dr. Murdoch alleviated some concerns by noting that health officials are currently spraying mosquitoes in the specific area where the patient lives. Our mosquito control team is working diligently, spraying in and around the area where the patient lives. We’re conducting environmental surveillance to see what other places we might need to spray that the person might have gone during their infection period,” she continued.
Mosquito Control Initiatives
For almost a decade, since 2011, the independent World Mosquito Program (WMP) has been waging a war on dengue fever. Their approach is to deploy Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with a strain of Wolbachia bacteria in Cairns and Townsville. This project seeks to minimize the transmission of dengue by decreasing these mosquitoes’ ability to transmit the virus. And the program has had more success deploying these types of strategies in more than a dozen countries around the world.
Murdoch made the point that risk to the general public is very low. That’s mostly thanks to the aggressive, locally-borne invasion of Cairns’ Wolbachia mosquito army. These efforts are some of the most cost-effective ways to prevent the spread of dengue fever. They protect against other mosquito borne diseases including Ross River virus, malaria, Barmah Forest virus and chikungunya.
Historical Context
The most recent locally acquired dengue occurrence in the Cairns area was recorded in 2018 on the Atherton Tablelands. By sharp contrast, in the 2008-09 outbreak, almost 1,000 people in Cairns contracted the virus. This long history of neglect illustrates why health equity advocates must remain vigilant even as local health authorities continue to grapple with preventing outbreaks.
Other towns will argue that they are facing an equally recent bombshell. It is important for residents to remain vigilant and take steps to improve their protection from mosquito bites. Health officials are still watching the situation with a careful eye, doing everything in their power to keep the region’s health and safety a priority.
