SUVA, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Fiji has recorded 10 cases of dengue fever from its second largest island Vanua Levu.
Minister for Health Ifereimi Waqainabete said Monday that 10 cases of dengue fever have been reported in Labasa, Vanua Levu, after the recent rainy weather brought about by two cyclones hit Fiji recently.
He said the spread of dengue fever was mainly due to the heavy rain.
Waqainabete said that the health teams are on the ground working to prevent the outbreak of dengue fever and other communicable diseases after Tropical Cyclone Sarai and Tropical Cyclone Tino.
Meanwhile, all evacuation centers that were opened and activated during Cyclone Tino have closed, with all evacuees safely returning to their homes on Monday.
The National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) said the Ministry of Health teams on the ground have been conducting disinfection spraying of vacated evacuation centers to minimize the spread of diseases.
NDMO said the Initial Damage Assessment Report indicates that one house in Vanua Levu has been destroyed while five houses have been partly damaged.
They say food security in parts of Vanua Levu has also been severely affected.
The detailed damage assessment will be conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture this week and the government will then determine the amount of food rations required to support the severely affected communities.
The Fiji Red Cross Society teams are assisting people that have been affected by Tropical Cyclone Tino by distributing shelter items, blankets and tarpaulins to people whose homes have been damaged in parts of Labasa and Savusavu towns.
