28 Feb 2017

Nauru report: dozens affected by dengue

2:07 pm on 28 February 2017

While no official figures have been released by the Nauru government on the extent of a dengue outbreak there are reports at least 70 people have been infected.

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Photo: 123RF

Guardian Australia reported that this included ten asylum seekers, one of who has been medi-vacced to Australia.

On Monday, Nauru issued a plea for residents to keep their compounds clean and to remove containers holding stagnant water in order to reduce breeding sites for mosquitoes.

The Guardian said Nauru and Australian immigration officials had called a crisis meeting amid fears the outbreak could overwhelm the island's public health system.

It said officials from the World Health Organisation were on the island to help the Nauru government, which is struggling to cope with the increasing number of cases.

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