| Overseas infectious diseases of priority concern |
- Polio has remained a PHEIC since first declared in 2014.
- Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a PHEIC July 2019. This is the second time WHO has declared Ebola a PHEIC; the first declaration in West Africa lasted from 2014–16.
- WHO lifted the Zika PHIEC in 2016.
- Two types of severe respiratory virus were reported, 2014–18.
- Dengue was present in eight Pacific Island countries and territories in 2018
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| Mosquito-borne disease in New Zealand |
- Zika declared a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’ in 2016.
- 99 cases of Zika were imported into New Zealand in 2016 and there was one locally acquired sexually transmitted case.
- In 2016 New Zealand recorded its highest total for all reported cases of mosquito-borne diseases since 2001.
- Almost all mosquito-borne diseases were diagnosed after cases had travelled overseas, often within the Asia-Pacific region.
- There were age, gender, ethnic and regional differences in who acquired these exotic diseases.
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| High-risk pests caught at New Zealand’s border |
- In 2018, there were 17 interceptions containing mosquitoes of overseas origin.
- Twenty species of high-risk mosquito species of public health concern were caught between 2009–2018. Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegypti and Aedes vexans were the most commonly intercepted species.
- Forty-four percent of interceptions of overseas origin originated from the Pacific region between 2009–2018. Australia was the most common country of origin.
- Thirty-nine percent of mosquito interceptions of overseas origin were discovered among ‘other cargo’ (eg, household goods, shipping containers—contents not specified) between 2009–2018go
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| Exotic Mosquito species established in New Zealand |
- No new exotic mosquitoes were introduced to New Zealand between 2009 and 2018.
- As of 2018, there are three long-established exotic mosquito species in New Zealand.
- The Southern Saltmarsh Mosquito (Aedes camptorhyncus) - first reported to be living in New Zealand in 1998 - was eradicated in 2010.
- In 2018 Culex sitiens was detected in Kaipara Harbour through the National Salt
marsh mosquito surveillance programme.
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