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Land Use Management and Health: understanding how national policies influence community decision making in rural Fiji
No full textClimate variability and water-related infectious diseases in Pacific Island Countries and Territories, a systematic review
No full textBackground
Climate induced changes in water-related infectious disease (WRID) transmission are a growing public health concern. The effects of climate on disease vary regionally, as do key socioeconomic modifiers. Regional syntheses are necessary to develop public health tools like risk maps and early warning systems at this scale. There is a high burden of WRID in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). There has been significant work on this topic in the PICTs, however, to date, there has been no regional systematic review of climate variability and WRID.
Methods
We searched the PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus scientific databases in September 2022 using a combination of disease, climate, and country terms. We included studies that evaluated the association between climate or weather variability and a WRID in the PICTs using a quantitative epidemiological design. We assessed risk of bias using validated tools. We analysed spatiotemporal publication patterns, synthesised the outcomes of studies in relation to the international literature and identified missing evidence.
Results & discussion
We identified 45 studies of climate and malaria, dengue, diarrhoea, leptospirosis, and typhoid, which represent major WRIDs of concern in the Pacific Islands. More than half of the studies were set in Papua New Guinea or Fiji. The number of studies published each year increased exponentially over time from the 1980s to present. We found few comparable outcomes per disease and setting across epidemiological studies which limited the potential for meta-analysis. However, we identified consistent increased incidence of diarrhoea, dengue, leptospirosis, and typhoid following extreme weather events, highlighting the necessity for adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene access across the PICTs. Additionally, there were consistent positive associations between temperature and dengue incidence in New Caledonia, highly seasonal malaria in PNG, increased diarrhoea incidence with high and low rainfall, and positive associations between leptospirosis and rainfall. These findings are biologically plausible and consistent with the international literature. Future work on this topic in the PICTs can take advantage of increasingly available health and climate data to consolidate the field across a greater diversity of settings and apply these findings to strengthening climate resilient health systems
Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence Survey in Central and Western Divisions of Fiji, 2021.
No full textDuring November–December 2021, we performed a SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence survey in Central and Western Divisions of Fiji. A total of 539 participants 8–70 years of age were 95.5% (95% CI 93.4%–97.1%) seropositive, indicating high community levels of immunity. Seroprevalence studies can inform public health responses to emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants
SITUATION ANALYSIS OF COVID-19 ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN FIJI
No full textABSTRACT:
COVID-19, a highly contagious and deadly virus rapidly swept across the world from the year 2019 to 2020
killing more than two million people. Due to the magnitude of affect the virus was having, governments were
forced into taking measures that required isolation of the infected from the unaffected, as mitigation to halt
the spread. This brought about the “COVID-19 Lockdown”. Though the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) were
with one of the least numbers of COVID-19 cases, similar measures were implemented as measure to
prevent the virus from entering the countries. Like other countries, PICs like Fiji had a lockdown and this
affected the lifestyles of the people. Amidst the lockdown, there was a rise in domestic violence cases. The
literature review was done using databases; Medline, ProQuest, Embase, and Scopus. The research was
done by using the relevant keywords in the field of COVID-19 which was aimed specifically on domestic
violence during the pandemic. Moreover, local, and international publications, like media reports and
published reports were also used. Upon carrying out this research it could be stated that there was a rise in
the number of domestic violence cases in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The literature
review was aimed at identifying the consequences of COVID-19 and why it triggered a spike in domestic
violence cases. The study concluded that the psychological impacts, and socio-economic state created as
the result of the lockdown was the main contributing factor which gives rise to substance abuse, depression,
which collectively lead to violence.
Keywords: COVID-19, Lockdown, Domestic Violence, Impacts, Causes, Fiji, Pacifi
Health Seeking Behavior Among Diabetic Patients At Naoero Diabetic Wellness Center Republic of Nauru
No full textPhysical activity, its Barriers, and Glycaemic Control among Diabetic patients attending Samabula Health Center, Suva, Fiji.
No full textImpact of Covid-19 lockdown on Glycaemic control among type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients in Fiji
No full textEvaluation of GeneXpert Capacity in the Ministry of Health's Diagnostic Laboratories in Fiji: Post Covid-19 Pandemic: 2022
No full text
Country Case Study: Fiji Containing, Mitigating, and Responding to COVID-19: Knowledge Generation and Exchange, Preparedness, and Response (March 2020 to June 2022)
No full textThe Fiji government responded quickly and moved decisively with stringent measures following the identification of the first COVID-19 case and took various effective measures to prevent its
spread. It has been quick to implement public health emergency measures including lockdowns, curfews, physical distancing, travel restrictions, and international border closures to prevent imported cases of the virus. While the Fiji government used
its endorsed Health and Emergencies Disaster Management Plan (HEADMAP) and did not view the pandemic as a new concept requiring a new approach, its application remains one that is
innovative and potentially transformative, especially
for Fiji and the Pacific region. A total of 65,713 cases
(7,426 per 100,000 population) and 866 deaths (98
per 100,000 population) have been reported up until
June 30, 2022.
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MoHMS) in Fiji mobilized its staff to serve at designated fever clinics and isolation facilities in hospitals and communities, and it gradually increased its sentinel sites for polymerase chain reaction.
(PCR) tests, with additional capacity to undertake GeneXpert COVID-19 testing. Since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was identified in Fiji on March 19, 2020, the government of Fiji has taken proactive and effective measures, including nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as school and workplace closure, community quarantine, limiting size of
meetings, restricting travel, stay-at-home guidelines
for high-risk people, teleworking, closure of high-risk venues, and personal hygiene measures; active surveillance and case detection; and appropriate case management using various strategies including fever clinics, contact tracing, supervision, and home quarantine to ensure safe delivery of clinical services.
The pandemic has disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable and marginalized groups, including women, children, older people, young people, persons with disabilities, the LGBTQI+ community, single and women-headed households, and poor households, with escalating rates of gender-based violence being reported. Although there are many challenges faced in adequately containing and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the lessons learned could provide valuable insights for policy makers and researchers globally