Outbreak Description:
The DENV-3 outbreak in Samoa has shown a rise in numbers since epiweek 2, in January 2016 as seen in the DENV Epicurve.
The case definition for this outbreak is: an acute fever with any two of the following, a maculo-papular rash, joint or muscular pains, severe headaches, nausea and vomiting, pain behind the eyes, signs of bleeding and low white cell count. This takes into account the similar clinical picture for Dengue Like Illnesses (DLI) including other arbo-viral infections.
The cumulative total is 989 cases by the end of Jan 2016, with a national attack rate of 5.3 per 1,000 population.
Geographical areas most affected continue to be the Apia Urban Area and the North West Upolu regions as seen on the map, which are the more densely populated areas in the country. The age groups below 25 years continue to be the most affected persons