• Misiafa Lene, 12, died of dengue fever in Auckland.
• He had been medically evacuated from Samoa, where he contracted the disease.
• Samoa declared a dengue fever outbreak on Thursday. Fiji is dealing with an even more severe outbreak.
• Travellers are advised to take precautions during school holidays.

Just over two weeks ago, 12-year-old Misiafa Nathaniel Lene was enjoying a day at the beach in Samoa; running around on the sand and splashing in the water, laughing.

A week later, he was fighting for his life in Auckland’s Starship Children’s Hospital after being medically evacuated. He had contracted a severe case of the mosquito-borne virus dengue fever in Samoa.

Despite every effort to save his life - including surgery to relieve pressure on his brain - he could not be saved. Misiafa died peacefully in his parents’ arms on Sunday, April 13 in Auckland.

Dengue fever, also known as break-bone fever, is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people and causes symptoms including sudden high fever, intensely sore joints and muscles, pain behind the eyes and a rash.

Misiafa Nathaniel Lene, 12, died in Auckland after contracting dengue fever in Samoa.

New Zealanders heading to the Pacific Islands these school holidays are being told to take precautions as dengue cases surge.

Fiji is dealing with a more severe dengue outbreak - with more than 5000 cases confirmed since January. A young student died of dengue there earlier this month.

Misiafa’s father, Taito Louis Lene, keeps thinking about his son enjoying that last day on the beach.

“On that Saturday, I went to swim with my kids. We had a good time. Then all of a sudden, he was sick - that’s why it’s really hard for us to take.

“Within one week, everything has changed for us.”

When I’m hungry, I can’t eat. When I’m tired, I can’t sleep - just thinking about my son."

Misiafa’s death is the first dengue-related death reported in Samoa this year.

Samoa’s health authorities officially declared an outbreak yesterday, after 15 confirmed cases since January.

Travellers to the Pacific are advised to take precautions - such as wearing loose-fitting clothing, packing mosquito-repellent and removing containers or areas where water could settle and act as mosquito breeding grounds.

The mosquito species that typically transmit dengue are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

The warning comes as many families are enjoying the school holidays overseas.

Taito and Taunese with their children, Misiafa, 12, and Niulina, 6.

Misiafa’s grieving parents Taito and Taunese Lene say they are struggling with how fast he succumbed to the disease.

He woke up early on Sunday, April 6 complaining of a headache and fever. His parents gave him Panadol and took him to a district hospital in Lalomanu.

His condition did not improve and by Thursday, doctors confirmed he had severe dengue fever.

‘We were desperate’

“He was vomiting blood by then and they said they’d never seen anything like that before,” Taito said.

“By then we were looking up costs to bring him to New Zealand. We were desperate.”

On arrival in Auckland last Saturday, April 12, Misiafa and his mother were rushed by ambulance to Starship.

However, by the next day the family made the difficult decision to take him off life support after surgery on his brain did not relieve pressure as hoped.

“When he started bleeding from his ears... we didn’t want him to suffer. It was very hard,” Taunese said.

“They brought another bed next to him and we lay there with him, just listening to his heartbeat. His last heartbeat was around 6.30 that night.”

The family is from Samoa, but has lived in Fiji for five years for work. They returned to Samoa last month and Taito’s elderly father died the day they arrived.

‘I miss my brother’

Their family trip to the beach two weeks ago was a family treat, a getaway following the funeral when family obligations had been completed.

Taunese Lene said they often treated their children to meals and swims at local hotels in Fiji - something their children always enjoyed, and which they liked to call their special family time.

The Lene family celebrating Christmas.

Taunese said the past two weeks had been a blur.

“When I’m hungry, I can’t eat. When I’m tired, I can’t sleep - just thinking about my son,” she said through tears.

“He was such an active boy. He loved rugby, tennis and was a good swimmer. Our son loved that family time together. I’ll miss that.”

Taito said the family - who are all Kiwi citizens - now plan to move to Auckland, where their son will be laid to rest next week.

Their focus will now be on their little girl Niulina, who is finding it particularly hard to accept her brother is no longer here.

“They were so close, as we always told our son, ‘You have to look after your sister’ - and that’s what he did. Now he’s gone. She cries: ‘I miss my brother’.”

Friends of the couple have set up a Givealittle page to raise funds for medical costs and funeral expenses.

The family has thanked the Samoan government for paying half of the $75,000 bill for the medevac aircraft, and family, friends and strangers for their contributions, including donating blood for their son when he needed it at Samoa’s Moto’otua Hospital.

The couple said they hoped their son’s death served as a reminder to others to take extra precautions in Samoa during the dengue outbreak.

“We don’t want to see another family lose a child like we have this way.

“The pain is beyond anything. We don’t want another family to go through what we are going through.”