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Typhoid fever in Fiji: a reversible plague?
Author(s) -
Thompson Corinne N.,
Kama Mike,
Acharya Shrish,
Bera Una,
Clemens John,
Crump John A.,
Dawainavesi Aggie,
Dougan Gordon,
Edmunds W. John,
Fox Kimberley,
Jenkins Kylie,
Khan M. Imran,
Koroivueta Josefa,
Levine Myron M.,
Martin Laura B.,
Nilles Eric,
Pitzer Virginia E.,
Singh Shalini,
Raiwalu Ratu Vereniki,
Baker Stephen,
Mulholland Kim
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
tropical medicine and international health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1365-3156
pISSN - 1360-2276
DOI - 10.1111/tmi.12367
Subject(s) - typhoid fever , sanitation , environmental health , hygiene , medicine , transmission (telecommunications) , public health , population , epidemiology , virology , electrical engineering , nursing , pathology , engineering
The country of Fiji, with a population of approximately 870 000 people, faces a growing burden of several communicable diseases including the bacterial infection typhoid fever. Surveillance data suggest that typhoid has become increasingly common in rural areas of Fiji and is more frequent amongst young adults. Transmission of the organisms that cause typhoid is facilitated by faecal contamination of food or water and may be influenced by local behavioural practices in Fiji. The Fijian Ministry of Health, with support from Australian Aid, hosted a meeting in August 2012 to develop comprehensive control and prevention strategies for typhoid fever in Fiji. International and local specialists were invited to share relevant data and discuss typhoid control options. The resultant recommendations focused on generating a clearer sense of the epidemiology of typhoid in Fiji and exploring the contribution of potential transmission pathways. Additionally, the panel suggested steps such as ensuring that recommended ciprofloxacin doses are appropriate to reduce the potential for relapse and reinfection in clinical cases, encouraging proper hand hygiene of food and drink handlers, working with water and sanitation agencies to review current sanitation practices and considering a vaccination policy targeting epidemiologically relevant populations.