The Ministry of Health says it is appalled by revelations that people who were asked to provide samples of their stool or urine for typhoid disease lab tests had falsified them.

The Ministry said these people used only one or two persons in the household to provide the samples for the rest of them.

“It has been proved at the labs that people are abusing the samples,” Chief Health Inspector Sela Faʻu of the Ministry told the Tonga Broadcasting Commission television service.

Faʻu has pleaded for the public to stop deceiving the Ministry and help them in trying to cure the fever.

She said the Ministry provided household members with small empty bottles for their samples and each one had her or his name labelled on it.

“It was unfortunate these people could not help,”  Faʻu said.

She said this was the reason why typhoid could not be eliminated because the potential typhoid candidates could not be identified at the lab through their samples.

Faʻu said it was easy to cure the disease if the candidate was identified through lab tests.

Faʻu said out of 11 typhoid patients identified in Tongtapu, five had been at the village of Veitongo.

She said the number meant the Ministry had to declare there was a typhoid outbreak in Tongatapu.

As a matter of routine, it was followed by a public educational health programme on radio and television and health officers visited the villages.

This included spraying of chlorine in the areas where typhoid candidates were staying.

As we reported last week, Radio New Zealand said Tonga had temporarily banned kava drinking in public halls to control an outbreak of typhoid.

The Ministry of Health has also imposed a month long ban on making food for public gatherings such as funerals.

The main points

  • The Ministry of Health says it is appalled by revelations that people who were asked to provide samples of their blood, stool, or urine for typhoid disease lab tests had falsified them.
  • The Ministry said these people used only one or two persons in the household to provide the samples for the rest of them.
  • Chief Health Inspector Sela Faʻu of the Ministry said the Ministry provided household members with small bottles for their samples and each one had her or his name labelled on it.
  • Faʻu said it was easy to cure the disease if the candidate was identified through lab tests.

For more information

Villagers in typhoid hotspot banned from sharing food until end of month

 

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  1. Fakameʻapangoʻia e Potungāue Moʻuí he fakahā kuo pāʻusiʻi ʻe he kakai ne kole ke nau ʻomai hanau toto, tuʻumamaʻo pe tuʻuofi ke siviʻi ʻi he lēpí pe ʻoku maʻu kinautolu ʻe he taifotí pe ʻikai.

    Pehē ʻe he Potungāué kuo ngāueʻaki pe ʻe he ʻū ʻapí ia ha foʻi tokotaha pe toko ua ke toʻo mei ai ʻa e semipolo ne fiemaʻu atu ke ʻomai kae ʻikai ke mei he tokotaha totonú.
    Kuo ʻosi fakamoʻoniʻi ia ʻi he lēpí kuo ngāue halaʻaki ʻe he faʻahinga ʻe niʻihi ʻa e ngāue ko ʻení, ko e fakamatala ia ʻa Sela Faʻu ko e ʻInisipēkita Moʻui Pule he Fale Mahaki Vaiolá ki he Televisone Tongá.

    Ne ne kole ai ki he kakaí ke nau tokoni ange muʻa ʻi hono tauʻi ʻo e mahaki taifotí.

    Ne ne pehē ʻoku faingofua pe ia ke faitoʻo ʻa e taifotí ʻo ka ʻilo ʻa e tokotaha ʻokú ne maʻú ka ko e pango he ʻo kapau ʻe hokohoko atu ʻa hono pausiʻi ʻo hangē ko ia kuo ʻilo haké pea ʻe kei hokohoko atu pe ʻasi ia ʻa e faʻahinga mofi ko ʻení.

    Ko e kau mahaki taifoti ʻe 11 kuo ʻilo ʻi Tongatapú pea ko e toko nima ai ʻi Vaitongo. ʻI he tuʻunga ko iá pehē ʻe Faʻú kuopau leva ke fakahā kuo tō ʻa e mahaki taifotí pea ʻe ngāue leva ʻa e fale mahaki ki he founga angamaheni ʻo ha tō ʻa ha toʻu mahaki pehē.

    ʻOku kau heni ʻa hono fakalele ʻo ha ngaahi polokalama ako he letioó mo e televisoné pea pehē foki ki he ō ʻa e kau ʻōfisa moʻui ki he ngaahi kolo ʻoku tō ai e tafoti ʻo fanaʻaki ʻa e faitoʻo kololainí.

    ʻOku lolotonga taʻofi ai ʻa e ngaahi feituʻu mamaʻanga kavatonga lahi pea mo hano fakahoko ʻo ha ngaahi kātoanga fakatokolahi ʻi he ngaahi kolo ko ʻeni kuo tō ai ʻa e taifotí.