FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, February 8, 2016

Contact: Natalie Iwamoto iwamoto@hhsaa.org

HONOLULU – With several state championships scheduled to take place on the Big Island during the 2016 winter and spring sports seasons, the Hawaii High School Athletic Association has been actively monitoring the Hawai’i Island Dengue fever outbreak since its peak in November 2015, and consulting directly with the State Department of Health disease outbreak control division.

The Division II girls basketball tournament is slated to begin on Wednesday, February 10th and run through the 13th at Kea’au and Waiakea High Schools, with the swimming and diving running concurrently Feb. 12-13 at Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii. 

In last month’s HHSAA executive board meeting, Department of Health public health educator and information specialist Jonathan Hilts stated that the areas the tournaments are taking place has very low risk, however precautions should be taken.

“Despite the emergency declaration, the Department of Health has confirmed that Hilo remains a low risk area, and all state tournaments will proceed as scheduled,” said HHSAA executive director Chris Chun. 

Although the risk of contracting dengue remains unlikely, as confirmed by the continued low number of cases, the HHSAA is issuing proactive measures to participating schools to protect themselves from potential risk, which include:

• Avoiding areas with high mosquito activity, such as closed beach parks (Ho’okena Beach Park, Milolii Beach Park)
• Keeping covered up with light colored clothing.
• Using repellent on exposed skin.

As stated by Hawaii County Civil Defense, the declaration is largely regarding funding for equipment and personnel as well as suspend a county law allowing the acceptance of tires at the local landfill.

About the HHSAA

Founded in 1956, the Hawaii High School Athletic Association is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) educational athletic organization exclusively dedicated to serving 96 public and independent member high schools statewide, as they work cooperatively to support and promote athletics as part of the high school education program. As the umbrella organization of high school athletics, the HHSAA operates 44 state championships in 18 different sports, establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, in addition to providing professional development opportunities for coaches and athletic administrators.

For more information on the Hawaii High School Athletic Association, go to www.sportshigh.com.