Health authorities in Fiji say they suspect dengue fever may have claimed up to three lives as the outbreak of the mosquito borne illness worsens.
The Fiji Times reports the Health Ministry as saying 75 percent of its 2014 budget to combat dengue has already been spent in efforts to quell the current outbreak.
The Ministry's national communicable diseases adviser, Dr Mike Kama, says the money has been used for clean-up campaigns, awareness activities and for restocking drugs in hospitals for patient care.
He says he has never seen so many people affected by dengue fever in Fiji with 1,200 of the 1,400 cases in the last three months coming from the Central Division.
Dr Kama says one suspected dengue related death occurred while being transferred to hospital and the other two deaths may have been complicated by other factors.
He says mosquitoes are the transmitting vector and communities can help themselves by destroying mosquito breeding grounds, as well as using nets and repellents.
