SUVA, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Fiji confirmed on Wednesday a typhoid outbreak in one of the islands in the Lomaiviti Group, one of the 14 provinces in the South Pacific Island state.
The Ministry of Health said in a statement that 13 patients who were diagnosed with typhoid on Moturiki Island have been treated with the required medical care and the Public Health Team continued to monitor the situation.
In consultation with the community, mass gatherings have been temporarily suspended in the hot spot areas as a preventative measure.
The ministry said the health team has taken prompt action to assist the communities in terms of strengthening the clinical management in accordance with the National Typhoid Guideline, with technical assistance provided by the Fiji Center for the Communicable Diseases Control Office.
The Public Health Team based at the Levuka Hospital is working with the communities on Moturiki Island to create awareness and facilitate counselling on the precautionary measures which include safe water, sanitation and hygiene.
The Ministry of Health has also distributed hand washing and safe water storage kits.
The ministry is also working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to map out evidence based plans to strengthen the responses to typhoid fever through enhancing the strategies for early identification and treatment.
Typhoid, also known as Typhoid fever, is a bacterial infection due to Salmonella typhi that causes symptoms such as weakness, abdominal pain, constipation and headaches. In 2015, there were 12.5 million new cases and it caused about 149,000 deaths worldwide.
