The revelation that young Fijians are at high risk of contracting typhoid following an outbreak in Naitasiri will raise some concern.
The warning though comes from the Ministry of Health.
In the wake of the outbreak last week, Health Minister Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete said they had recorded 31 confirmed and 14 suspected cases in young Fijians and those between the ages of 30-40 years.
Dr Waqainabete confirmed the outbreak in Naitasiri was waterborne. Villagers, he said, resorted to drinking from the river during the prolonged dry spell.
Obviously with typhoid it is the water source, he said, “so in this particular village during the time of drought they had problems with water and they were drinking from the main river”.
Dr Waqainabete has directed health officials to ensure there were no other typhoid cases before Christmas.
“At the moment it still remains on that and that is a testimony to the good work done by our health officials, so I have told the officials that I want it gone before Christmas and I do not want any more typhoid … we shouldn’t,” he said.
Assistance, he said, had been given to affected villages, which had received water tanks so that they have access to clean water source.
“What the Ministry of Health officials have done is they have put in one big water tank, and they are going to put in another two so there is secure water coming from the water source but more importantly they have started liaising now with Provincial Administrators Office on securing another clean safe water source,” he clarified.
The Health Minister has reassured that the outbreak has been controlled.
The World Health Organization, in its fact sheet in January this year, lists typhoid fever as a life-threatening infection caused by the bacterium SalmonellaTyphi.
It is usually spread through contaminated food or water.
An estimated 11–20 million people, it said, get sick from typhoid and between 128,000 and 161,000 people die from it every year.
Symptoms include prolonged fever, fatigue, headache, nausea, abdominal pain, and constipation or diarrhoea.
Some patients may have a rash.
Severe cases may lead to serious complications or even death.
Typhoid fever can be treated with antibiotics although increasing resistance to different types of antibiotics is making treatment more complicated.
Typhoid fever, it said, was common in places with poor sanitation and a lack of safe drinking water.
Access to safe water and adequate sanitation, hygiene among food handlers and typhoid vaccination are all effective in preventing typhoid fever.
The WHO even made a number of recommendations for travellers.
This included the need to ensure food is properly cooked and still hot when served; Avoid raw milk and products made from raw milk.
Drink only pasteurized or boiled milk; avoid ice unless it is made from safe water; When the safety of drinking water is questionable, boil it or if this is not possible, disinfect it with a reliable, slow-release disinfectant agent (usually available at pharmacies); wash hands thoroughly and frequently using soap, in particular after contact with pets or farm animals, or after having been to the toilet; and wash fruits and vegetables carefully, particularly if they are eaten raw.
If possible, vegetables and fruits should be peeled.
It is encouraging to see our health minister very proactive.
It is reassuring indeed.
The challenge though is on us to understand the causes and symptoms of typhoid and take appropriate action.
We have been warned.
