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. 2015 Jun 10;6(2):32-6.
doi: 10.5365/WPSAR.2014.5.4.006. eCollection 2015 Apr-Jun.

Hepatitis A outbreak in Ba subdivision, Fiji, October-December 2013

Aneley Getahun  1 , Eric Rafai  2 , Maria Ximena Tolosa  3 , Akanisi Dawainavesi  4 , Anaseini Maisema Tabua  5 , Josefa Tabua  5
Affiliations

Hepatitis A outbreak in Ba subdivision, Fiji, October-December 2013

Aneley Getahun et al. Western Pac Surveill Response J. .

Abstract

Objective: A cluster of suspected hepatitis A cases was notified to the Fiji Ministry of Health on 22 October 2013. An outbreak investigation team was mobilized to confirm the existence of an outbreak of hepatitis A and advise appropriate public health interventions.

Methods: A case definition for the outbreak investigation was established, and standardized data collection tools were used to collect information on clinical presentation and risk factors. An environmental assessment was also conducted.

Results: There were 160 clinical cases of hepatitis A of which 15 were laboratory-confirmed. The attack rate was 349 per 10,000 population in the Nukuloa nursing zone; there were no reported deaths. Residents of the Nukuloa settlement were 6.6 times more likely to present with symptomatic hepatitis A infection (95% confidence interval: 3.8-12.6) compared with residents of another village with a different water supply.

Discussion: This is the first significant hepatitis A outbreak documented in Ba subdivision and possibly in Fiji. Enhanced surveillance of hepatitis A may reveal other clusters in the country. Improving the primary water source dramatically reduced the occurance of disease in the affected community and adjacent areas.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The epidemic curve of hepatitis A outbreak in Ba subdivision, Fiji (n = 160)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The Dayal water distribution areas and reported cases of symptomatic hepatitis A cases in Ba subdivision, Fiji, October – December 2013
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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