WORLD · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
Samoa Dengue Outbreak Response Wraps Up After Supporting 15,000 People
WHY IT MATTERS
The workshop’s roadmap will guide Samoa Red Cross Society’s future emergency readiness, ensuring stronger coordination, volunteer management, and financial sustainability for Pacific health crises.
What happened
The Samoa Dengue Outbreak Response, a DREF operation (MDRWS003) activated on 25 August 2025, delivered prevention, community engagement, health promotion, vector control and targeted cash assistance to 15,000 residents across Upolu and Savaiʻi. The operation, the first cash‑for‑volunteer (CVA) intervention by the Samoa Red Cross Society (SRCS) since 2009, was funded with CHF 209,072.
A Lessons‑Learned Workshop held in Apia on 26–27 February 2026 brought together SRCS staff and volunteers, government partners, suppliers, IFRC staff and movement partners to review the full operation. Participants highlighted strong community engagement, effective volunteer mobilisation and successful CVA delivery, while noting gaps in internal communication, volunteer management, financial sustainability and systems.
The workshop concluded with a roadmap to strengthen SRCS preparedness, coordination and institutional capacity for future responses, co‑facilitated by IFRC with Pacific peers from Vanuatu and New Zealand.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Samoa Dengue Outbreak Response - DREF Final Report (MDRWS003) 26–27 February 2026
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