Cyclone-hit Fiji threatened by typhoid outbreak

A UN agency has warned that the potentially deadly waterborne disease typhoid might spread through Fiji following the major cyclone that killed three people and destroyed hundreds of homes.

An overhead view of a Fijian coastal village that was damaged by Cyclone Tomas Reuters

The Pacific emergency co-ordinator for the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) said they were “responding to the emergency with specific attention to water, sanitation and hygiene, given that cases of typhoid and cholera are likely to rise in the coming days”.

Fiji had already suffered a typhoid outbreak before the category four Cyclone Tomas hit the north and east of the island last Monday and Tuesday.

Fiji’s Ministry of Health has given out sanitation advice to avoid catching the diseases, telling people to boil water or use purification tablets before drinking it.

Many people have still not found shelter after Cyclone Tomas, which is estimated to have destroyed more than 370 homes and damaged another 423.