The role of health professionals in the fight against communicable diseases including measles is of great importance.

This was highlighted by the Minister for Health Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete while addressing nurse practitioners at a capacity building symposium held in Pacific Harbor.

Dr Waqainabete highlighted that communicable diseases should be given equal attention given to non-communicable diseases that remain a concern in Fiji and the Pacific.

“When I started in the Ministry of Health, there was a lot of talk on non-communicable disease and I came and I said to the heads, when I came I said, I want equal opportunities and equal gravity out towards communicable diseases. They were very surprised because they knew I was a surgeon, and a surgeon, majority of our work is in non-communicable diseases. I said no, we must have an equal importance in communicable disease.”

Dr Waqainabete also stressed that health professionals will work to prevent history from repeating itself where in the year 1875, 40,000 Fijians lost their lives to measles.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry earlier confirmed three cases of measles confined in Wailali Settlement in Wainadoi which include a four month old baby and two adults, all of whom are recovering well with the baby in a stable condition in isolation at Navua Hospital.