Health experts in the Pacific say they are concerned that mosquito-borne virus chikungunya could spread across the region to nations that have not previously had the virus.
The Pacific’s first ever case of the disease was detected in New Caledonia about three years ago, but an outbreak late last year in French Polynesia has demonstrated just how quickly it can spread.
According to health officials, the virus has so far killed 14 people in French Polynesia.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) last year warned chikungunya could sweep through the region and island hop, for the next one or two years.
According to the WHO, health experts still have not found a vaccine to prevent the virus and no specific antiviral drug treatment has been developed.
An epidemiologist with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Dr Adam Roth told Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat program in the past three months in French Polynesia, 55,000 people were recorded as having had consultations for chikungunya, but he said there could be more who have had the disease, but have not sought medical treatment.
“There are likely to be cases that have a lighter symptomatology and they would not seek for consultations,” he said.
“So it is likely to be more than just the 55,000 consultations.”
The disease causes fever, severe joint pain, muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash.
Dr Roth said the outbreak of chikungunya was easing in French Polynesia, but the majority of new cases reported in New Caledonia were imported from French Polynesia.
He said there has also been an increase in cases of the disease in Samoa.
Dr Roth said all nations in the region, which have not had chikungunya were at risk of developing cases of the disease, as people had not developed an immunity to the virus.
“I think all of the islands would be at risk of importing cases from these outbreaks, not only from French Polynesia and Samoa, but also from other part of the world,” he said.
“We have seen since 2012, we have had introductions of several strains of viruses, at least three different strains.
“So it is not just one viral strain going around, generally in the world, you have huge outbreaks going on in the Caribbean.”