Tourists planning an idyllic South Pacific vacation in Fiji might consider putting a little something other than sunscreen into their bags, specifically protection against dengue fever, a mosquito-carried virus which is rapidly spreading across the region.

In a recent development that has alarmed global health authorities, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a Level 1 travel alert for Fiji after a sharp increase in cases of dengue fever. Although the alert does not advocate for travel bans, it advises caution and attention particularly since Fiji is approaching peak cruise season and continues to receive thousands of foreign visitors.

Fiji, famous for its coral reefs, green rainforests, and untouched beaches, has also become a cruise tourist hotspot. In 2023, the island country received more than 83,000 cruise ship visitors, a figure expected to reach more than 86,000 in 2024, as per reports. But while its tourism sector blossoms, the Pacific paradise is grappling with a worrying health crisis at the same time.

The Fiji Central Division reported more than 1,000 dengue cases in January through late March alone. By the final week of February 2025, combined case reports throughout the country had climbed to 2,436. The nation's Ministry of Health credits this sudden increase with exceptionally heavy rainfall and flooding, which offer perfect breeding ground for the mosquito—the main vector for dengue virus transmission.

What is Viral Fever Outbreak In Fiji?

Dengue fever is a viral disease spread by the bite of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. It usually develops with high fever, severe muscle and joint pain (commonly called "breakbone fever"), nausea, vomiting, severe headache, and rash. In certain instances, the person may feel pain behind the eyes—a classic symptom.

Although most cases of dengue are self-limiting, severe dengue (or dengue hemorrhagic fever) may result in life-threatening complications like internal bleeding, respiratory impairment, and organ failure.

No antiviral drug for dengue is available at present. Supportive measures like proper hydration and over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen for pain relief can be given in mild cases. Hospitalization is required in severe cases for fluid management and intensive monitoring.

What is a Level 1 Alert?

The CDC's Level 1 alert—ranked as "Practice Usual Precautions"—is the lowest on its travel health notice hierarchy. This does not, however, equate to negligible risk. Rather, it informs travelers that there is an outbreak and that preemptive action must be taken in order to not get infected.

"Spring and summer travel overlap with the high season for dengue in much of the globe, raising the possibility of both travel-related and locally transmitted cases in the United States," the CDC wrote in its latest health advisory.

Since most cruise routes go through tropical regions during these times, the chance of contact with infected mosquitoes greatly increases.

The case in Fiji is not unique. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that dengue has become one of the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne illnesses in the world. As many as 100 to 400 million cases are estimated each year, and half of the world's population is now under threat.

In 2024, the World Mosquito Program had called it the "worst year for dengue on record," since outbreaks were at the same time reported in Brazil, Colombia, the Philippines, Mexico, and parts of the Caribbean. Rapid urbanization and climate change have been identified as major drivers behind this trend.

Increased global warming, higher rainfalls, and flooding—all effects of a hotter planet—provide ideal conditions for mosquito populations to flourish. "If we keep putting planet-warming gases into our air.dengue and other vector-borne diseases will only prosper," the Fiji government warned.

Precautionary Steps Tourists Need to Take Prior to and During Travel

No vaccine is universally recommended for tourists, although prevention is still the best course.

Here’s what the CDC and Fiji’s Ministry of Health recommend:

• Use EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
• Wear protective clothing such as loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and pants, especially during dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
• Stay in accommodations with screened windows, air conditioning, or use mosquito bed nets if sleeping outdoors or in unscreened environments.
• Avoid standing water, which serves as breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
• If bitten, do not scratch the bite and use hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion to reduce itching.

In addition, travelers should visit their healthcare provider prior to travel and remain up to date with information from the CDC, WHO, and local health authorities.

Fiji’s Ministry of Health has ramped up its vector control operations, including mosquito surveillance, fogging in affected areas, and community education. Public service announcements are urging residents and tourists alike to eliminate mosquito breeding sites and seek medical attention at the first sign of symptoms.

Cruise lines with Fijian stops have also increased measures to inform passengers about health risks and preventive measures. Unless the outbreak worsens further or spreads to other areas, cruise operations are likely to go on as usual.

Medical experts warn that dengue fever outbreaks will become more common and extensive as a result of climate changes and more travel internationally. As a result, travelers need to start considering mosquito-borne diseases not as far-off chances but as actual health factors particularly when traveling to tropical areas.

Until now, Fiji has been open to tourism, but the spike in dengue cases is a wake-up call: the loveliness of an environment that does not protect it from threats to global health. Whether on a beach or trekking through rainforests inland, simple but crucial precautions may be the difference between a vacation dreams and a medical crisis.

The US childhood vaccination schedule has become the center of a heated debate and much attention is being drawn towards it after a Senate hearing revealed the possible changes to when critical shots like the hepatitis B vaccine are given. Susan Monarez, former director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing said that she was fired in August for refusing two demands by Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, which were: fire career agency officials and sign off vaccine recommendations without seeing any data.

“He said if I was unwilling to do both, I should resign,” she said. “I responded that I could not pre-approve recommendations without reviewing the evidence, and I had no basis to fire scientific experts.”

At stake is not just the timeline of immunization, but also health and safety of millions of children who rely on vaccines to protect them from life-threatening diseases.

“The concern is Robert F Kennedy [Jr.] is going to make America sicker again,” said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. “They’re going to send us towards more disease, more death and more despair in our nation.”

Why Does Vaccine Schedule Matter?

The CDC, through its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), sets the recommended vaccine schedule for children. While not mandatory, these guidelines strongly influence what health insurers cover and how doctors across the country advise parents.

For decades, the schedule has ensured that children are vaccinated against highly contagious diseases at the ages when they are most vulnerable. Changes to this timeline are not simply administrative, they have direct consequences on whether children remain protected against illnesses that once caused widespread suffering and death.

Debate Around The Hepatitis B Vaccine

One of the most debated issues that has risen is the hepatitis vaccine. It is from 1991 that the CDC recommended that babies must receive the first dose within 24 hours of birth, followed by additional doses at one month and between six to eighteen months.

This timing is not arbitrary. Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can lead to cirrhosis, cancer, and lifelong health complications. Critically, the risk of developing chronic hepatitis B depends on the age at which a person is infected. Babies infected at birth have up to a 90% chance of developing chronic infection. Adults, by comparison, have only about a 5% chance.

Because many mothers are unaware they carry the virus, the birth dose serves as a crucial safeguard. It blocks transmission at the earliest stage, preventing lifelong illness and premature deaths.

So, What Could Change?

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., the committee’s chair, asked Monarez if Kennedy had told her he was going to change the childhood vaccination schedule. “He said that the childhood vaccine schedule would be changing starting in September, and I needed to be on board with it,” Monarez said.

What is being proposed contradicts the CDC recommendation of hepatitis shot being the first one for a child to receive within 24 hours of being born. Testimony at the Senate hearing suggested that the vaccine schedule could be revised to delay the first dose of the hepatitis B shot until age 4. Former CDC officials raised alarms that this proposal was not based on scientific data but rather political direction.

If implemented, such a shift would mean babies could go unprotected during the period when they are most at risk of contracting hepatitis B from their mothers or close contacts. Experts warned this would undo decades of progress in reducing infant infections, from 20,000 cases annually before 1991 to fewer than 20 per year today.

Risks of Delaying Vaccination

Delaying hepatitis B vaccination could open the door to a resurgence of preventable infections. Even if mothers are screened during pregnancy, screening isn’t perfect, and some may acquire the infection late in pregnancy or go undiagnosed. Without the immediate protection of the birth dose, babies would be vulnerable.

Moreover, shifting vaccines later in childhood carries another risk: missed doses. Studies show that adherence to vaccines is highest in infancy, when routine well-baby visits are frequent. Delaying could mean some children never get fully vaccinated at all.

The consequences are not minor. Untreated hepatitis B leads to chronic infection in most infants, setting them on a path toward liver damage, cirrhosis, and cancer later in life.

Concerns for Childhood Immunization

The hepatitis B vaccine isn’t the only one under review. The same advisory panel is expected to revisit recommendations for measles, chickenpox, and the updated COVID-19 shot.

Also Read: US Health Officials To Examine Covid Vaccine Effects In Pregnant Women And Kids

Critics worry that altering the established childhood schedule without thorough scientific review could destabilize public trust and increase preventable outbreaks.

The controversy comes at a time when confidence in public health agencies is already slipping. According to a recent KFF poll, trust in the CDC dropped from 63% in 2023 to 57% in 2025. Changes seen as politically motivated, rather than evidence-driven, could erode that trust even further.

Why Science-Based Decisions Are Essential

Experts stress that vaccination decisions should be grounded in data, not politics. The success of public health in the U.S., from reducing measles deaths to nearly eliminating mother-to-child hepatitis B transmission—has hinged on science-led policymaking.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, a gastroenterologist, reminded lawmakers that the hepatitis B vaccine transformed infant health in America: “Before 1991, as many as 20,000 babies were infected with hepatitis B each year. Now, fewer than 20 babies annually get the virus from their mother.”

Such achievements highlight the life-saving role of evidence-based vaccination. Undoing or weakening these protections without compelling scientific justification risks reversing decades of progress.

What Comes Next?

The ACIP meeting will be pivotal in determining the future of the childhood vaccine schedule. If changes are recommended, they could reshape how millions of American children are immunized. However, for many experts, the principle remains clear: any adjustments must be backed by rigorous data and public health expertise.

Federal health officials are taking a closer look at the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant women and children, while also weighing updates to recommendations for older adults.

According to U.S. News, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing reports of possible birth defects following vaccination during pregnancy and is preparing data on deaths in children after receiving COVID shots.

The review will be presented during a September 18-19, 2025, meeting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine advisory committee, CNN reported. Experts emphasise that the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), one of the primary tools being used in the review, is a monitoring system meant to detect potential safety signals. It does not establish that vaccines directly caused the reported health problems.

What Is VAERS?

The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) is designed to act as an early-warning tool, flagging potential safety signals that may warrant further study. “VAERS is a system that generates hypotheses,” explained Dr Demetre Daskalakis, who recently stepped down as director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, in an interview with CNN.

So far, large-scale studies have continued to show that COVID-19 vaccines are safe in pregnancy. The CDC has tracked outcomes in more than 23,000 pregnant women through one registry and more than 45,000 in another database, finding no increased risk of miscarriage, major birth defects, or other complications. Similarly, Pfizer reported that rates of birth defects in vaccinated participants during a clinical trial were comparable to those in the general population.

The CDC advisory committee is also expected to discuss whether vaccine guidance for older adults should be revised. While COVID vaccines are currently approved for adults 65 and older, as well as younger adults at high risk of severe illness, the panel may consider recommending them mainly for those 75 and older, or for younger individuals with underlying conditions.

ALSO READ: Is 'Stratus' COVID Variant The Pandemic’s Next Chapter In 2025 With New Symptoms?

New COVID Variant ‘Stratus’ Dominates U.S. Cases

COVID-19 activity remained high across the United States during the first week of September, according to fresh data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Despite the confusion around emerging strains, shifting vaccine guidelines, and cuts to vaccine development funding, the agency continues to track cases, hospitalisations, and deaths on a weekly basis.

For the four weeks ending August 30, projections show that a new variant called XFG. nicknamed “Stratus” accounted for 78 percent of infections nationwide. The next most common strains were NB.1.8.1 at 14 percent and LP.8.1 at 3 percent.

ALSO READ: Ozempic Users Found To Age Back By More Than 3 Years, Finds New Trial; Peer Review Pending

What Is the ‘Stratus’ Variant?

XFG is a late-summer Omicron offshoot and a recombinant strain, formed by blending two earlier lineages: F.7 and LP.8.1.2. Scientists say the variant may carry mutations that help it slip past parts of the immune system more effectively, though there is no evidence yet that it spreads faster than previous strains.

The CDC advises people to watch for familiar COVID-19 symptoms, which continue to include:

1. Fever or chills
2. Cough
3. Fatigue
4. Sore throat
5. Loss of taste or smell
6. Congestion
7. Muscle aches
8. Shortness of breath
9. Headache
10. Nausea or vomiting

Every year on September 17, the world pauses to reflect on one of the most pressing challenges in healthcare, patient safety. Since its launch by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019, World Patient Safety Day has become a global campaign calling for stronger collaboration, awareness, and action to prevent avoidable harm in healthcare systems.

In 2025, the theme is “Safe care for every newborn and every child”, with the slogan “Patient safety from the start!”. The message is clear: children are not just fragile as they do not have the same levels of immunity as adults, they require special attention, protection, and tailored medical care from the very beginning of life.

Why Patient Safety Matters

Patient safety is not an isolated goal; it is the very foundation of healthcare. Without safe practices, no system can achieve universal health coverage or progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The WHO emphasizes that unsafe care remains one of the top ten causes of death and disability worldwide, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups such as newborns and children.

The objectives of World Patient Safety Day include:

• Increasing public awareness and commitment to safety.
• Promoting global solidarity for safer healthcare.
• Addressing specific issues that put patients at risk.
• Empowering families and communities to play an active role.

Focus on Children’s Health

Children are particularly vulnerable to risks in healthcare. Unlike adults, they cannot decide which clinic to visit or which treatment to accept. They must rely entirely on parents, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Their smaller bodies, developing immune systems, and emotional needs mean they often respond differently to illness and medical interventions.

The German Coalition for Patient Safety (APS) stresses that children should not be treated through an “adult lens.” Its slogan for 2025: “Patient safety from childhood onwards, an investment for life", captures the long-term importance of safe care for the youngest patients. APS is also encouraging parents, pediatricians, obstetricians, and nurses to share their experiences and identify both strengths and gaps in healthcare delivery.

A Global Call for Action

The urgency of this year’s theme is evident in global statistics. WHO’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Janabi, recently highlighted that poor quality care, rather than lack of access, accounts for 60% of maternal deaths and 56% of neonatal deaths in low- and middle-income countries.

While access to hospitals has improved in many regions, unsafe practices, such as inadequate infection prevention, misdiagnosis, or insufficiently trained staff, continue to harm patients. Encouragingly, 21 African countries have already introduced National Quality Policies and Strategies that include patient safety measures like infection control, but more progress is needed.

Building on Past Efforts

World Patient Safety Day campaigns in previous years have focused on areas such as safe childbirth, medication safety, health worker safety, and diagnostic safety. This year’s emphasis on paediatric and newborn care builds on those efforts, recognizing that safety at the start of life shapes long-term health outcomes.

The Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030 provides a roadmap to strengthen safe practices through:

• Safer clinical processes.
• Improved training and workforce competencies.
• Stronger patient and family engagement.
• Advocacy and education beginning from childhood.

From Awareness to Action

World Patient Safety Day 2025 is not just about raising awareness, it is also about mobilizing concrete action. Governments, hospitals, professional associations, and civil society organizations are being urged to implement sustainable strategies to safeguard children’s health. Parents and caregivers, too, are encouraged to actively participate in their child’s medical journey by asking questions, understanding treatment plans, and advocating for safe care.

Around the world, awareness activities will include advocacy campaigns, technical discussions, and the illumination of landmarks in orange, the signature color of the campaign. These symbolic gestures serve as powerful reminders that safe healthcare is a universal right, not a privilege.

Patient Safety From the Start

This year’s slogan, “Patient safety from the start!”, underscores that ensuring safe care from birth is not optional, it is essential. Protecting children from avoidable harm is both a moral responsibility and an investment in healthier societies.

World Patient Safety Day 2025 is a reminder that safe care is achievable when everyone, from policymakers to frontline nurses, and from parents to international organizations, works together. After all, safeguarding the health of children today ensures a stronger, healthier world tomorrow.