The mosquito-borne disease Chikungunya which has been reported in some Pacific island countries has a low chance of being spread here.

Director Communicable Disease Dr. Mike Kama says airline regulations would not permit anyone with symptoms to enter the country.

He says the disease is not particularly life-threatening but has symptoms similar to dengue fever.

“There have been documented cases of more serious illness right up to paralysis but fatalities are quite rare in these situations. The socio-economic implications can be quite huge depending on the extent of the outbreak.”

Tongan health authorities say there has been an outbreak of the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus affecting more than 10,000 people across the country while Samoa has about a hundred cases.

So far over 8000 people in French Polynesia have contracted the virus and two have died.