Dengue infections have hit record-high numbers around the world this year, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue an advisory to U.S. travelers.
Hawaiʻi hasn’t had a local dengue outbreak since 2016 when health officials confirmed over 200 cases on Hawai'i Island. However, some of our neighbors in the Pacific are not as lucky.
Researchers recently found that 60% of children and teens in American Samoa had been infected with dengue — a troubling statistic, since getting dengue more than once can be deadly. HPR talked with Sandra Kiplagat, the CDC epidemic intelligence service officer who led the research.
HPR reached out to Sanofi, the maker of the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia. In a statement, the company said it decided to discontinue the vaccine in 2026 “due to low global demand for this product,” adding that, “despite an increased prevalence of dengue in different parts of the world, there’s only one Dengvaxia immunization program in place due to the complexity of implementing this product.”
This interview aired on The Conversation on Sept. 23, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
