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Training began in Suva, Fiji, this week to support Pacific health professionals in monitoring mosquito resistance to insecticide.
The Pacific Mosquito Surveillance Strengthening for Impact (PacMOSSI) programme covers several areas, including identifying mosquito species to understand their local distributions, and collecting larvae, and raising aedes mosquitoes for testing.
Mosquitoes are numerous in the Pacific. A 2023 PacMOSSI report showed there are over 42 species of anopheles mosquitoes found in New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. The genus aedes has 119 species in the region; and the genus culux is represented by 113 different species in the Pacific.
Many species can carry a variety of diseases, including malaria and dengue.
The report said different mosquito species are responsible for transmitting different pathogens between animal hosts, but not all mosquito species are capable of pathogen transmission.
Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services acting chief health inspector Luke Vonotabua said that to put an end to dengue outbreaks there needs to be collaboration.
"We need to have a well-trained workforce who are equipped with the resources to be able to respond to health threats when needed," he said.
"Mosquito-borne diseases are a burden not only to Fiji but to all of our neighbours."
Samoa's Ministry of Health declared its latest dengue outbreak over in August, after nearly 500 cases were reported since November 2023.
No deaths were recorded in the outbreak.
Other countries also reported the disease, and a rise of dengue cases was reported in Europe earlier in the year.
As of 30 April, over 7.6 million dengue cases had been reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for this year, including 3.4m confirmed cases, over 16,000 severe cases, and over 3000 deaths.
WHO said cases are most commonly asymptomatic or result in mild febrile illness (meaning an illness having or showing fever symptoms), but some cases will develop severe dengue, which may involve shock, severe bleeding or severe organ impairment.
In 2019, more than 2000 people in French Polynesia contracted dengue type 2.
That same year, the Marshall Islands called a state of emergency in August to deal with their dengue cases.
One of the partners in the mosquito training programme, the Pacific Community (SPC), said resistance of mosquitoes to insecticides is a critical challenge for public health.
"As mosquitoes become resistant, common control methods like insecticide sprays lose their effectiveness.
"This makes it harder to combat diseases like dengue, Zika and chikungunya."
Kiribati Ministry of Health and Medical Services representative Tabomoa Tinte said this training is "very important" for his country.
"We have arboviruses that cause human disease, and resistance monitoring will help inform decisions on effective insecticides to control mosquitoes."
A medical advisor from New Zealand's Immunisation Advisory Centre said earlier this year dengue is expected to increase with climate change and urbanisation].
Dr Joan Ingram said cases of dengue increased more than six-fold since 2000.
"Between 2012 and 2021, there were 69 outbreaks of dengue fever among the Pacific Islands."
