A team from the Lymphatic Filariasis Program, under the Fiji Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Tamavua, Suva, is intensifying efforts to monitor and combat the spread of filariasis across the islands.

Today, the team carried out antigen testing for the disease on Nayau Island, continuing a series of assessments launched earlier this month in Moturiki and Kadavu.

The initiative aims to evaluate the effectiveness of past mass drug administration campaigns held in 2020 and 2023, especially in the Western and Northern Divisions.

The next stop for the CDC team will be Totoya Island, where testing will resume next week.

Viniana Duituturaga, a health worker involved in the initiative, emphasized the importance of this ongoing surveillance.

She noted that results from these tests will help determine whether additional drug administration will be necessary, particularly in the Northern and Eastern Divisions where recent case increases have been observed.

These proactive measures reflect Fiji’s national commitment to eliminating lymphatic filariasis and safeguarding the wellbeing of its most remote communities.