Ministry of Health encouraging people to boil all drinking water if access to clean drinking water is limited

The Ministry of Health is strongly encouraging people to boil all drinking water in areas where access to clean drinking water is limited.

This includes rural areas and informal urban areas.

Concerns are now being raised by residents in Suva, Nasinu and Nausori that they have been getting sick and that they are not getting constant supply of clean water.

Some Tamavua residents say they have been sick in the past few days and when they visited the nearby health facility, everyone with similar symptoms were strongly advised by health officials to boil all drinking water. These people have been using tap water supply.

When asked by fijivillage, Permanent Secretary for Health, Dr. James Fong says we must also continue to practice basic hygiene measures such as frequently washing hands with soap and water, especially after visiting the toilet and before eating or preparing food as typhoid cases are being reported around the country.

There have been 44 cases of typhoid fever this year. The Central Division has recorded 14 cases, the North has reported 6 cases while 23 cases have been recorded in the Western Division.

Typhoid fever is typically found in areas that do not have access to clean drinking water.

Signs and symptoms of typhoid fever include weakness, stomach pain, headache, diarrhea or constipation, cough and loss of appetite.

Meanwhile, fijivillage continues to receive information that many people are turning up at health facilities with fever and flu like symptoms.

When questioned, Dr. Fong says we are in the middle of our flu season. He says because of COVID-safe measures in the last two years, they recorded a marked reduction in flu cases.

He says while the reduction in flu cases was good, it also meant certain level of immunity was lost from flu infections and they now expect a lot more flu cases.