The mayor of Hawaii's Big Island declared a state of emergency on Monday amid the state's largest outbreak of dengue fever since the 1940s.
The move comes more than three months after the state Department of Health confirmed the first cases of locally acquired dengue, and less than a week after state and county officials defended the ongoing response against criticism that they had been slow to act.
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.
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.
Dengue fever is transmitted to humans when they are bit by infected mosquitoes.
The symptoms usually include a sudden onset of fever, severe headaches, rash and eye, joint and muscle pain. No other locally-acquired dengue fever cases have been reported on any other islands
