Dengue outbreak concerns

Concerns in Samoa as Pacific's dengue challenge grows

This comes amid signs that Samoa's government may be downplaying the extent of the spread of dengue in the country.

The Pacific Community, or SPC, is currently monitoring outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease in French Polynesia, Samoa, American Samoa, Fiji, and Wallis and Futuna.

SPC's acting deputy director for public health unit, Sala Saketa, said there were often just one or two strains at any one time, with serotype 2 the most common.

But according to Dr Saketa, there had been ongoing shifts in the dengue strain as well as other major challenges.