title: Typhoid fever in Fiji: a reversible plague?
abstract: 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.
authors: Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Wellcome Trust Major Overseas Programme, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Centre for Tropical Medicine, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.
authors: Corinne N
authors: CN
authors: Thompson
authors: Mike
authors: M
authors: Kama
authors: Shrish
authors: S
authors: Acharya
authors: Una
authors: U
authors: Bera
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Clemens
authors: John A
authors: JA
authors: Crump
authors: Aggie
authors: A
authors: Dawainavesi
authors: Gordon
authors: G
authors: Dougan
authors: W John
authors: WJ
authors: Edmunds
authors: Kimberley
authors: K
authors: Fox
authors: Kylie
authors: K
authors: Jenkins
authors: M Imran
authors: MI
authors: Khan
authors: Josefa
authors: J
authors: Koroivueta
authors: Myron M
authors: MM
authors: Levine
authors: Laura B
authors: LB
authors: Martin
authors: Eric
authors: E
authors: Nilles
authors: Virginia E
authors: VE
authors: Pitzer
authors: Shalini
authors: S
authors: Singh
authors: Ratu Vereniki
authors: RV
authors: Raiwalu
authors: Stephen
authors: S
authors: Baker
authors: Kim
authors: K
authors: Mulholland
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003226:Congresses as Topic; D005260:Female; D005367:Fiji / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011634:Public Health; D012424:Rural Population; D019779:Salmonella enterica; D014435:Typhoid Fever / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014436:Typhoid-Paratyphoid Vaccines; D014611:Vaccination; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D014436:Typhoid-Paratyphoid Vaccines; D002939:Ciprofloxacin
keywords: Fidji; Fiji; Fiyi; enteric fever; epidemiology; epidemiología; fiebre entérica; fièvre entérique; tifus; transmisión; transmission; typhoid; typhoïde; épidémiologie