Measles cases

The second confirmed case is a four-year-old boy from Tafuna who goes to the same school as the first confirmed measles case.

RNZ Pacific reports the Department of Health sent 39 samples to Hawaii for testing on Monday and 26 came back negative while one was positive for measles.

The samples are both nasal swabs and serum - the nasal swabs tested negative, but the serum samples have to be sent to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lab as Hawaii didn't have the capability for serum testing.

Both cases are from villages in the Serua/Namosi provinces, just outside the capital Suva.

The Health Ministry said on Friday a child was presented to the Korovisilou Health Centre on November 17th.

The child was then transferred to the Colonial War Memorial Hospital.

Tests carried out by the Centre of Communicable Disease confirmed it was measles.

Both patients and their families are in isolation.

It said the latest confirmed cases are a 12 year-old from Sakoca in Tacirua who is linked to a previous case in the same area, and a 39 year-old from Nasole in Nasinu who was admitted to hospital and later discharged home.

The 3 month-old baby, reported in previous updates, is still in hospital. All other confirmed cases have recovered or are recovering well under home isolation.

The national measles immunisation campaign was temporarily suspended on December 27th 2019 due to Tropical Cyclone Sarai and will restart in all divisions next week.

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.

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.