Fiji

Tropical Cyclone Sarai wreaks havoc in Fiji

 The Category 2 storm battered Fiji's southern Lau group last night - winds of up to 170 km/hr.

Two people have died during Sarai in Fiji, where the body of a man was found after he went missing in a river during the storm, and another drowned while swimming.

A third person has been hospitalised after being hit by a falling tree.

More than 2000 people remain in the 54 evacuation centres.

Many people across parts of the Central, Western and Northern Divisions have been without power supply since Friday night.

Category 1 Cyclone Sarai strengthening as it approaches Fiji

The Fiji Meteorology Service said Tropical Cyclone Sarai is moving south at 35 km/hr.

The cyclone is expected to have average winds of up to to 65 km/hr with gusts of 90 km/hr.

The Fiji Met Service said heavy rain may lead to flash flooding.

     

Fiji on tropical cyclone alert as bad weather moves closer

The Tropical Depression is moving at 10 kilometres per hour, according to the Fiji Meteorology Service.

The Director of Meteorology, Misaeli Funaki told Fiji Village said this system will move southwards and come close to Fiji and when it forms into a cyclone, it will be named Cyclone Sarai.

He said while the majority of the models are projecting for the system to move just to the west of Yasawa and Mamanuca Groups, some other models are showing that the Cyclone could come over Viti Levu later on Friday.

Nineteen confirmed measles cases in Fiji

The child is reported to be in a stable condition at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva.

The Health Ministry says the outbreak response teams are conducting investigations in the respective locations with quarantine and vaccination of contacts and at risk communities as appropriate.

Twelve cases are from the Serua/Namosi Subdivision in Wailali, Wainadoi, Navunikabi and Makosoi in Deuba.

Four cases are from Suva Subdivision in Samabula, Vatuwaqa, Tacirua and Wailekutu.

Fiji postpones all sporting competition following measles outbreak

Fiji has a much higher vaccination rate than Samoa, with only 15 confirmed cases in the country as of Tuesday, but health officials have warned people to avoid affected areas and cancel events likely to draw crowds.

"The gathering of youth and people for sporting events is not right and we should discourage it," said Peter Mazey, the chairman of the Fiji National Sports Commission.

"Working with the health ministry, we are going to try to stop it, now that we have 15 cases in the country."

200,000 measles vaccines arrive in Fiji

There are now 15 confirmed cases in Fiji with the latest patient a 38-year-old from Nakelo, which is 28km from the capital of Suva.

The Health Ministry's Sunil Chandra said phase one of the campaign saw close to 100,000 people vaccinated.

That included more than 20,000 people in the outbreak area of Serua/Namosi, he said.

Graduation ceremony in Fiji cancelled due to measles outbreak

The awards were planned for this Thursday at the Laucala Campus's Japan-Pacific ICT Lecture Theatre.

The university said the cancellation was due to advice from the Ministry of Health against against mass public gatherings.

The University of Fiji earlier postponed its graduation ceremony in Suva next month because of the measles outbreak.

The ceremony will now be held in March 2020.

Meanwhile, the ministry has now confirmed 15 cases of measles.

Measles case on Fiji to Auckland flight

 ARPHS Medical Officer of Health Dr Maria Poynter says people who may have been exposed on this flight should be vigilant for symptoms of the highly infectious disease.

 The flight departed Nadi, Fiji on Air New Zealand flight NZ 53 at 2.00 pm on Friday 22 November, landing at 5.10 pm in Auckland on the same day.

Three more measles cases in Fiji

Health official Sunil Chandra said the latest cases were two teenagers and a child, who was admitted to the main hospital in Suva but has since been discharged.

Meanwhile, the Auckland Regional Public Health Service said there were measles affected travellers on a flight from Nadi to Auckland last Friday.

Air New Zealand flight NZ53 departed Nadi at 2pm on Friday 22 November.

Public health officer Dr Maria Poynter said passengers may have been exposed and should watch for symptoms.

Fiji govt urged to isolate measles patients at hospitals not homes

The Ministry of Health has confirmed seven cases of measles in the Serua and Namosi areas.

Patricia Nancy Raibevu, from the Wailali Wainadoi Settlement in Navua, was among those quarantined since the outbreak was declared two weeks ago.

The 20-year-old has since recovered and said while residents had heeded advice from the authorities, confusion and frustration was growing among the public.

"Most of us, we are angry because they've been asking the nurses to take the sick people away to the hospitals to be isolated so that the disease won't spread everywhere.