KAILUA-KONA — Hookena Beach Park — one of three areas closed last fall to stem the Big Island dengue fever outbreak — reopens Tuesday. ADVERTISING KAILUA-KONA — Hookena Beach Park — one of three areas closed last fall to stem
KAILUA-KONA — Hookena Beach Park — one of three areas closed last fall to stem the Big Island dengue fever outbreak — reopens Tuesday.
The South Kona beach park has been off-limits to residents and visitors since its closure Nov. 4 as a proactive measure to stop the spread of the mosquito-borne virus. Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said Friday afternoon the decision to reopen the facility was made based on a variety of factors, including no confirmed cases associated with the park since Nov. 11, numerous spraying and treatments conducted there and the end of the four- to six-week life cycle of infectious mosquitoes.
“November was the last time we saw a confirmed case associated with Hookena,” he said. “We needed to allow an opportunity to allow some time to lapse, and in Hookena’s case what we’ve been doing since November is sprays, treatments and assessments to ensure we were effective.”
Posters will be hung to inform parkgoers of the reopening, as well as to remind them to continue to “Fight the Bite” to deter the spread of dengue fever, he said. Users are urged to use repellent while visiting the beach park, or any other public area.
“Remember, we are still in an outbreak and it wouldn’t take much to reintroduce the virus down there if we didn’t fight the bite,” he said. “This outbreak has reminded all of us to remember how fragile our environment is, and it doesn’t take much to introduce a problem into our community. We need to be vigilant going forward and realize that if we are sick and maybe contagious we put others at risk.”
Meanwhile, Milolii Beach Park and the Waipio Valley Access Road will remain closed until further notice, Oliveira said. Milolii was closed in late December and Waipio in mid-January. At Milolii, the last reported confirmed infection was Jan. 20. At Waipio, the last confirmed case was recorded Feb. 1.
“It’s not that we don’t want people to see the facilities and enjoy themselves, but at what risk do we want to expose the public?” Oliveira asked.
The decision to reopen Hookena Beach Park came on the second day this week with no new confirmed cases of dengue on the Big Island. Since the start of the outbreak in September, 260 cases have been confirmed. Of those cases, 235 are Hawaii Island residents and 25 are visitors; 46 have been children, according to the state Department of Health. As of Friday afternoon, none of the 260 cases remained infectious to mosquitoes.
Kailua-Kona remains the lone area on the island considered high risk for dengue fever contraction, according to the DOH. An area of South Kona, between Honaunau and Hookena, remains listed as moderate risk.
Email Chelsea Jensen at cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com.
