Safe travel/Dengue Fever Warnings

Hi all,

I'm holiday in New Zealand soon and thinking of taking a side trip for a few days before my onward flight to Fiji. Every time I look up the Cook Islands I see warnings about Dengue Fever. Is it safe to travel to, aside from having to cover up to avoid being bitten? Is this a real fear?

If there if somewhere else near to New Zealand where I could catch some sun for approx. 5 days before I travel on, please do advise. I considered Tahiti but it's too expensive. Samoa is also a possibility.

I haven't posted here before, I hope I have done everything properly. Here's hoping someone has some useful advice. Thanking you in advance.

I'm a little puzzled by your route. Are you now in New Zealand and traveling onto Fiji or are you coming from Los Angeles and want to stop somewhere before you get to Fiji (and then head on to New Zealand)? (I ask because the Cook Islands, Tahiti and Samoa are all further from New Zealand than Fiji is.)

I have been living in Fiji for 17 years and caught dengue once, that was during a widespread outbreak. And I hardly use mosquito repellent. Dengue mosquitoes are mostly "night active". Once there is an outbreak it's written in the papers, then you should protect yourself during the evening, and in the night you have most likely a mosquito net. You can get much easier a bad infection from a coral cut ( if you don't take proper care for it) then catch dengue fever.

Sorry bulabear, you are wrong. The dengue mosquito is the daytime variety, with the most dangerous times being dawn and dusk.

The outbreak in Rarotonga began in May last year, but numbers of those infected dropped markedly last month (May). Mosquitos are worst inland, but they breed anywhere. Protect yourself with a good DEET repellant and you'll probably be fine. Burn coils outside. No harm in protecting yourself overnight as well as the night time variety still bite and cause itching etc.

It is also said that mosquitos are attracted to dark clothing but I don't know how true that is.

Yes, you are right NO#3. Sorry, just wrong thinking! And it is the one with white marks on the wing. At least here in Fiji!

Hi - silvanocat - I am going Sydney - Christchurch - Auckland-Fiji-LA on a set ticket. I have more time in Auckland than I need and thought I'd fly somewhere and back again before I go onward to Fiji. I realize I might end up going further than Fiji and back but... I think I might have to suck that up for the sake of going somewhere? Advice on where is sensible so as not to go toooo far out of my way is good though...thank you for your help.

Bulabear/aqinqaquarian thanks for the info. Deet repellant and nighttime protection it is then. I was curious to know whether it was warnings to be careful but I would probably be fine, or some major outbreak!

We have had a fairly major outbreak of dengue here on Rarotonga, over the last 12 months. As #3 says, the cases are definitely dropping and with the weather cooling rapidly, it is hoped that this trend will continue. Having said that, it is raining here at the moment (and has been for the last couple of weeks), which is great for mozzie breeding. My son and I both had dengue over the last couple of months. It wasn't much fun, even though the strain of virus here at the moment is actually the weakest form. Of the 1300 or so cases recorded here over the last year, only about 19 or 20 have been tourists. This is probably because tourist accomodation tends to be screened properly, and most accomodation is based on the coast where the mosquitoes tend to be less. As the posters above suggest, use insect repellant and coils.

If I was in your position, I would still come to the Cook Islands. If you take adequate prevention measures, you should be fine.

PS rather than flying to and from Auckland, you could consider flying Auckland - Rarotonga - Nadi - LA, if your ticket is flexible. Probably much cheaper. Or Auckland - Nadi - Rarotonga - LA, depending on your preference. There are now direct flights from Raro to LA twice a week, and the standard weekly flight between Fiji and the Cooks on Fridays.

Thanks for the info jeanie - sorry to hear you were ill!

I will enquire as to whether my ticket is that flexible although I fear it isn't. That seems to make more sense though. Thanks!

If you happen to get dengue what happens then? Is it like a flu or something ... chills, highfever? Anything to take once you have it. Thanks!

I luckily have never had it during the three outbreaks over the past 15 yrs on RAR, but the strain on RAR is pretty mild compared to other places. Friends that have gotten it had chills, fever, joint aches etc for about three to seven days, then were basically weak for another week or two weeks. It affects people differently, in part based on how healthy they are otherwise. Jeannie can tell you how it affected her and her son.

Not much they can do, except put you on a saline drip at the hospital for a few days. Do NOT take aspirin, use paracetamol for some relief from joint aches, etc

Dengue is less prevalent in the cooler winter months in the S.P. (June to Sept). Also, as mentioned above, not many tourists get it, as most tourist places are on the coast where the breezes often keep the mozzies away, and many tourist places (other than some budget/backpacker places) have screens on their windows and doors.

As Raro mentioned, my son and I both had dengue earlier this year. It was like a horrible dose of the flu. In our cases, the symptoms came on really suddenly, starting with a headache behind my eyes, aching all over, a horrible metallic taste (which means that you don't feel like eating for about a week), extreme weakness (ie I would feel ok, stand up, then instantly feel like I was going to fall down, and need to lie down and rest - it was a bizarre sensation), vomiting, extreme chills and shaking etc etc. Even though all these symptoms were unpleasant the worst part, by far, for me was the rash that came at the end of the first week. I was in tears with the discomfort - a painful itch that was impossible to alleviate. All in all, I don't recommend getting dengue, if you can avoid it ;-) It took me about a month to fully recover my strength and I am a very fit, healthy person. Ditto for my son. I hate to think about how awful the more serious strains are. I've heard horrible stories!

Having said all of that, I haven't heard of any recent cases, so hopefully the mosquito population carrying the virus have died out during the winter months. It's still relatively cool here on Raro, so the mosquitos are not regrouping in any great numbers yet!

A suitable side trip from Auckland for a few days might be a flight on Air Calin to Noumea - if you get lucky, these can be $550 return. It will give an experience different from Fiji, with the French influence, and be cheaper (at least to get to) than Tahiti. Vanuatu is another possibility.