An American Samoa lawmaker has called for additional funding to help health officials in the territory fight the dengue fever epidemic.
A House of Representative member, Galu Satele Junior, says health issues should be another priority for the territory as discussions of local projects to be funded by President Obama's economic stimulus bill now pending in the U.S. Congress.
He says this is especially important as American Samoa is facing dengue fever and plans to get rid of the disease.
He says there should be appropriate funding for the Department of Health to address the epidemic.
More than 600 cases of dengue were confirmed in the territory in 2008.
Mr Satele says funding is the biggest problem faced by Health and the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency in its dengue awareness programme and there should be appropriate funds for these two agencies to carry out their work.