Fiji

The storm battered large areas of Fiji for three days but overnight the system moved on.

It is now over Tonga, though it has weakened considerably.

The Centre reports teams would be sent to the affected communities on Wednesday to fully assess Sarai's impact.

It said it had reports of damage to houses across all four divisions, with some homes completely demolished by the cyclone.

The Centre also said farms, as well as health and education facilities had also been damaged.

 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.

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.

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.

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 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."

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.

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.

 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.

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.