Lautoka Hospital

The Ministry of Health has recorded one leptospirosis death from Nalauwaki Village, Waya Island, Yasawa.

The Ministry recorded two cases of leptospirosis, both males aged 22 and 41.

The cases were reported to the Ministry’s Lautoka/Yasawa Subdivisional Team on the 5th of this month.

Both patients were admitted to Lautoka Hospital.

However, the 22-year-old male passed away, while the 41-year-old recovered and was recently discharged.

The Ministry confirms that there have been no other cases reported from the village to date.

In response to the two cases, a team from the Ministry’s Lautoka/Yasawa Subdivision was deployed to Nalauwaki village to carry out further investigation and necessary public health interventions from February 6th to the 7th.

The team raised awareness about leptospirosis through a community briefing and the distribution of leptospirosis, typhoid, and dengue fever information pamphlets to community members.

They also carried out an environmental risk assessment, including house-to-house surveys and assessments of sanitation, water sources, and animals within the village.

The team also undertook medical screening of people in the village to detect more cases and distributed rat baits to households.

The Ministry’s team will be travelling again to Nalauwaki Village on Waya Island this week with Biosecurity Authority of Fiji officers, Divisional Officer Yasawa, and Roko Yasawa to conduct further community awareness, medical screening, rat trapping, and testing of animals in the village.

There have been 217 cases of leptospirosis reported so far this year.

The Ministry says that case numbers are within expected levels for this time of the year, with more cases expected every year during the rainy season.

In anticipation of an increase in cases at this time of the year, the Ministry has conducted a three-month-long mass media awareness campaign on TV and radio beginning in December 2023.