There have been more than 10,000 dengue cases since the start of the year; however, a week-to-week comparison shows a 19 per cent decrease. With schools opening next week, parents are being asked to be vigilant.

Since January, a total of 10,982 clinically diagnosed dengue cases have been reported, out of which 3,379 have been lab-confirmed. During this week alone, 1,307 new clinically diagnosed cases were reported from all health facilities in both Upolu and Savaii, including 315 cases at TTM Hospital, with 309 of them lab-confirmed.

The most common dengue virus types currently in circulation are DENV-1 (91%) and DENV-2 (9%). Alarmingly, children under the age of 15 remain the most affected group, making up 72% of all reported cases. So far, six dengue-related deaths have been reported.

Majority of the cases, about 86 per cent, have been reported from Upolu.  53 per cent of the cases have been males.

There has also been a 14 per cent drop in new dengue admissions, with 184 people admitted this week from health facilities across both islands. Of these, 129 have been discharged, and 55 remain hospitalised. Fortunately, no new ICU cases have been reported.

Two districts have shown particularly high numbers: Anoamaa 1 in Upolu (67 cases) and Palauli 3 in Savaii (38 cases).

As schools prepare to reopen on Monday, after being closed for several weeks due to the outbreak, the Ministry of Education has issued a public notice reminding schools and parents to take extra safety steps.

"While numbers are going down, dengue is still spreading. All families and schools are asked to continue prevention efforts to keep children safe," the ministry warned.