![A dengue outbreak was declared in Tonga on 19 February. Google translate of caption: While visiting areas confirmed to be infected with the Mofi Tengi virus, outside staff of the Ministry of Health or Health Inspectors are visiting houses to reduce the number of mosquitoes. easily injured by this fokoutua.
During the shooting, [spraying] schools that have already had students infected with Mofi Tengi and schools that are vulnerable to Mofi Tengi.](https://media.rnztools.nz/rnz/image/upload/s--gf-Gv-ll--/c_crop,h_552,w_883,x_0,y_245/c_scale,h_552,w_883/c_scale,f_auto,q_auto,w_1050/v1740609429/4KBBYI5_Tonga_spray_jpg?_a=BACCd2AD)
Photo: Tonga Ministry of Health
Dengue cases have reached 73 as of Wednesday, the Tongan government says.
In a statement, the Kingdom's health ministry said the age group most affected is that of 10-19 year olds.
Five cases were in hospital, and all were stable.
Tongatapu, the main islands, has the most confirmed cases (33),followed by Vava'u (28) and 'Eua (12).
No deaths have been reported.
An outbreak was declared in the country on 19 February.
The health ministry has thanked the Chinese Embassy in the capital, Nuku'alofa, and the Australian government for providing "immediate support".
It is reminding people to clean out water storage containers and empty or throw away anything that could collect water and be a mosquito breeding ground, such as tyres, bottles, tins and coconut shells.
"Preventative activities to hotspot and high-risk areas in collaboration with Tonga Red Cross Society are ongoing with continuous technical support from WHO, UNICEF and SPC," the ministry said.
It said the first batch of samples collected from Tongatapu showed dengue virus type 2 is responsible for the current outbreak.
"The result for the second batch which included samples from Vava'u and 'Eua is expected to be available later this week."
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said as of January this year, more than 100,000 cases had been reported from 24 countries and territories.
It said in 2024, more than 14 million dengue cases and more than 10,000 dengue-related deaths were reported globally.
A Pan American Health Organisation update on 20 February (local time) said that 477,599 suspected cases of dengue were reported for epidemiological weeks 1-5, 2025.
"This represents an decrease of 54 per cent compared to the same period in 2024 and an increase of 25 per cent compared to the average of the last five years," the update said.
"Out of the 477,599 reported dengue cases in the region, 154,757 (32%) were laboratory-confirmed, and 596 (0.1%) were classified as severe dengue. A total of 132 fatalities have been recorded."
Of the Pan American nations reporting cases in week five, Brazil had 93,253 of the 105,767.
