320 - Arboviral Surveillance in Hawaii: Past Experience and Future Initiatives

Arboviruses and more broadly vector-borne disease have historically had significant direct and indirect impacts on human health in Hawaii and remain an important public health concern. While there are currently no endemic human arbovirus diseases, Hawaii is at increased risk for the establishment of arbovirus diseases such as dengue due to high levels of global travel and the presence of day-biting Aedes (Stegomyia) mosquitoes that transmit several important arboviruses. Aedes albopictus is found on all the main islands, while Aedes aegypti has been found in some areas of Hawaii Island.

In Hawaii there has been a continuous and increasing rate of travel associated dengue since 1990 with two dengue outbreaks demonstrating the risk. The 2001 dengue outbreak, the first autochthonous transmission in 56 years, started on Maui, later spreading to Oahu and Kauai. The 2015 dengue outbreak which lasted from September 2015 to March 2016, primarily affected Hawaii Island. Travel associated Chikungunya, Zika, and West Nile Fever cases have also been reported.

Surveillance and rapid response through early detection and reporting of human arbovirus disease remains the cornerstone of current prevention efforts in Hawaii; however, infections can go unrecognized or unreported setting the conditions for arbovirus spread. Hawaii is working to supplement current case surveillance with timely detection of dengue using RT-PCR in mosquitos collected in areas surrounding identified cases as well periodic non case related environmental mosquito sampling using RT-PCR for Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika virus. Viral metagenomic surveillance in mosquitos will be explored as a technique to detect arboviruses that impact not only humans but also native Hawaiian bird populations which play a unique cultural role and have been under severe threat.