Ministry bans mass gatherings as new LTDD cases detected
Some villages and settlements in Nadogo district, Macuata, are living under restricted conditions.
There is a ban on mass gatherings, moving from one village to another, going to school and sharing of belongings.
This is after new cases of Leptospirosis, Typhoid, Dengue and Diarrhoea (LTDD) were received by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services after Tropical Cyclone Yasa.
Minister for Health and Medical Services Doctor Ifereimi Waqainabete and Permanent Secretary Doctor James Fong confirmed that hot spot villages and settlements in the Northern Division were being restricted from mass gathering. In Nandave Settlement, a 45-yearold widow, Nomai Dicagi, was admitted at Labasa Hospital on three separate occasions last month. After testing was done, health officials found that she was positive for typhoid.
“They came home and took children’s stool samples. They found out that my daughter, Sulueti Vakaraucagi, was a positive typhoid carrier,” Ms Dicagi said.
“She is asymptotic and has been restricted from movement.”
She was supposed to start Year 7 at Nakelikoso Primary School. Ms Dicagi, an unemployed mother of seven has been cleared now. A few kilometres away is Kurukuru settlement, where four people were tested positive for typhoid last month. Two have been cleared. Alifereti Rokoyaluma, 37, and his 13-year-old niece, Tarusila Naibu, have been told to wait for 28 days for their second test result.
“My 64-year-old father living next to our house had positive typhoid, leptospirosis and diarrhea, but was cleared two weeks ago,” Mr Rokoyaluma said.
“Then my younger sister tested positive for typhoid and has been cleared.”
The family are unsure how they got LTDD because they haven’t left Labasa.
“We have been told that we are close to lockdown area so no unnecessary movement is allowed,” Mr Rokoyaluma said.
“It is very hard for us because our houses and yaqona farm were damaged by TC Yasa.”
Naibu said she was supposed to attend Year 9 at Nadogo Central College, but now she had to wait. “People in our area are so afraid to go to the hospital because of injection,” she said.
“Not only that, many are poor and can’t afford to buy medicines.” Dr Waqainabete said health officials had been visiting homes carrying out tests and raising awareness on LTDD.
“We are advising people not to have a mass gathering or move from one place to another or anyone coming from out of Vanua Levu because we trying to contain an outbreak from happening,” Dr Waqainabete said.
So far,10 cases of LTDD have been recorded post-TC Yasa.
Eight are from Macuata and two from Cakaudrove.
Dr Fong said there was no lockdown on these areas, however, restrictions had been imposed for safety reasons.
Wainikoro advisory Counsellor Navendra Pratap said health professionals had been visiting Nadogo district on a weekly basis.