Community effort helps fight dengue in American Samoa

​Disease control officials in American Samoa says a community approach is the best way to fight dengue in the territory.

Officials from the Centers for Disease Control left American Samoa on Friday, after helping the territory respond to the outbreak for two weeks.

Four people died with more than 184 suspected dengue cases recorded.

The acting team leader at the CDC Dengue Fever Branch in Puerto Rico, epidemiologist Tyler Sharp, says the territory is taking dengue fever seriously.

"I see many of the villages and many of the communities actively involved in clean up campaigns all together. Not just one household here, one household there. But whole communities altogether. That's what really needs to be done for dengue. To prevent dengue, it's not an individual solution, it's a community solution, that's what I'm seeing here, and I'm very pleased to see that."

Epidemiologist Dr.Tyler Sharp says the territory wide response has been excellent.