American Samoa

The bill was sponsored by Congresswoman Aumua Amata and five others including Hawai'i Representative.  Tulsi Gabbard and Northern Mariana Islands Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan.

During a debate last month Aumua praised her predecessor, as a "true public servant" who had served in the US Army and been deployed to Vietnam.

Aumua said Faleomavaega dedicated his life to improving conditions for veterans in American Samoa and took great pride in securing funds to build the local VA clinic, which has served veterans well.

The Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga has approved using part of the $US1 million the territory received from the federal government following the 2009 tsunami, which damaged and destroyed many "alia" boats, to hire a dedicated mechanic for the Manu'a islands.

The Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources will also be hiring a contractor to complete the repairs of the boats located in Manu'a and purchase necessary supplies for the boats there.

Manu'a alia boat owners have been asking for help from the government to repair their alia boats for years.

Two doctors from the Department of Health have been sent to help out at the Pediatric Department of the LBJ Hospital, after the sudden death of long serving paediatrician, Dr Tagilima Iatala, last week.

A replacement is due on island next week.

The chief medical officer at the LBJ, Iotamo Salepaga, said the two public health doctors would mean they could manage until then.

But some medical staff said the situation was more serious than what the LBJ management is making it out to be.

The emergency was declared on 3 March.

Eight cases of dengue have been confirmed in the latest outbreak.

Questions have been raised over the declaration after no emergency was declared when people died of dengue two years ago.

American Samoa's Director of Health Motusa Tuileama Nua said the declaration means the territory could get federal money to help prevent, diagnose and treat dengue.

He pointed to the Zika outbreak in the territory for which the US government has provided US$5 million for the next three years.

There were also two confirmed cases of dengue in the months of November and December last year.

Suspected cases as on the middle of February stood at 30.

The Department of Health said the strain found in the latest cases was dengue serotype 2, which has not been in the territory since 1972 and so anyone born after that date has no immunity.

It will be at the Lee Auditorium.

Faauaa Kataferu , the head matai of Faleomavaega's family , said the memorial service is an opportunity for relatives, friends and associates of the former congressman who are unable to attend his funeral services in Utah, to celebrate his life and farewell him.

The acting Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga will be one of the speakers at the service,

The family matai also confirmed funeral services for Faleomavaega, who died last Wednesday, will be held next Friday and Saturday in Provo, Utah.

Fiji has now confirmed 143 cases, Nauru has confirmed more than 50, and 13 have been confirmed in American Samoa.

That follows outbreaks in Solomon Islands which has had more than 10,000 dengue cases in the last seven months, and in Vanuatu which has had more than 1700 cases since November.

RNZ reports in New Caledonia three people have died and a health emergency has been declared as more than 1-thousand cases have been recorded since September.

American research ship the Okeanos Explorer is on an expedition filming the little known ocean depths of the territory's conservation areas.

More than 180 scientists have been viewing a live stream of images and commenting on whether the corals, fish, and other organisms they can see are new species.

Expedition Co-ordinator Kelley Elliot said scientists would be encouraged to give any rare finds Samoan names.

Over the years, the WHO has provided a variety of support - financial and human resources - to American Samoa and other Pacific islands.

Several years ago American Samoa received more than $US300 million annually.

The money also funded travel for senior health officials to attend off-island meetings.

Motusa Tuileama Nua told lawmakers that WHO funding is down to $US70,000 and that money goes directly to the Treasury.

The Commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers, Lieutenant Colonel James Hoyman and a team of seven, has been in the territory looking at sites that the military used.

The American Samoa Power Authority has said that because of the seepage of oil at the site where the naval tanks used to be, any infrastructure or utility projects in the area would require a lot more funding.

ASPA has asked that the Department of Defense provide funding to mitigate the contamination.

But the US Army Corps has said no evidence to prove ASPA's position.