Hawaii's Big Island Declares Emergency Over Dengue

The mayor of Hawaii's Big Island has declared a state of emergency to deal with an outbreak of dengue fever, spread by infected mosquitoes, with 250 cases confirmed over the past four months, NBC News reported.

As a result of Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi's order people on the Big Island will be allowed to resume disposing of old tires in landfills, since tires left lying around are a known breeding spot for mosquitoes.

There have been 250 confirmed cases of dengue on the island since Oct. 29, making it the largest outbreak in the state since the 1940s, according to the mayor's declaration and Hawaii health officials.

Dengue is not endemic to Hawaii but has occasionally spread after being imported by infected travelers. The outbreak on the Big Island is the first cluster of locally acquired dengue fever since a 2011 outbreak on Oahu, the Hawaii Department of Health said.

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