Hawaii County Civil Defense announced Wednesday afternoon that it had shut down traffic access to Waipio Valley as a precaution in the ongoing fight against the dengue fever outbreak.
Hawaii County Civil Defense announced Wednesday afternoon that it had shut down traffic access to Waipio Valley as a precaution in the ongoing fight against the dengue fever outbreak.
As of 2:30 p.m., all traffic along the access road and valley area was closed to anyone apart from valley residents.
“This restricted access will remain until further notice,” Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said in an update sent to media around 2:40 p.m.
As of 1 p.m., the Department of Health had reported a total of 215 confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne disease since Hawaii Island residents first reported the illness, beginning on Sept. 11. The Wednesday update included two additional cases since Tuesday.
“Of the 215 confirmed cases, two are recent and could be in the stage of their illness in which they can infect mosquitoes,” Oliveira said.