Fiji’s Ministry of Health has commended the efforts of the village headmen and community health workers at Waivunia and Natua villages in the North for their efforts in the containment of the spread of typhoid.
This is no new infections were reported in Waivunia village for a month now, however, in Natua village, two more cases were detected last week through contact tracing.
The ministry said the containment and mitigation of the spread were achieved largely through the support of the communities in ensuring cases were detected early, referral of typhoid-suspected cases as well as adherence to movement restrictions that were implemented in the two villages.
Since then, villagers of Waivunia have completed their 14-day movement restriction and have been allowed to only gather for church gatherings while feasting and gathering for kava drinking is still forbidden, whereas in Natua Village movement restrictions remain in place. A team from Red Cross has also been assisting the villagers over the past two weeks in their Village Clean Up Campaign.
Teams from the Ministry of Health Medical Services in collaboration with Non-Government Organisations and other government ministries have been working closely with the villagers by conducting awareness, WASH training and supply of WASH kits, regular follow-ups with village headmen and community health workers, social gathering monitoring, isolation of cases, and distribution of masks and sanitation.
In Fiji, typhoid fever is a common disease due to poor sanitation in some areas, people not
washing their hands properly and especially during and after the wet season.
Signs and symptoms of typhoid are high temperatures, headache, general aches and pains, and constipation. The Ministry of Health Medical Services wishes to advise members of the public to report to their nearest health center or medical facility if experiencing any of these signs and symptoms.
