Soldiers and police have been placed on alert to help control a national outbreak of typhoid in Fiji.
The Fiji Times reports this follows an initial refusal by villagers to heed the Health Ministry's advice to refrain from holding large public gatherings.
The deputy secretary of Public Health, Doctor Josefa Koroivueta, confirmed that 44 cases of typhoid had been found across the country.
On Saturday, villagers at Natoaika in Naitasiri were advised by doctors that several residents had tested positive for typhoid.
They were asked not to hold large gatherings and ensure that everyone followed strict protocols.
These include boiling of all drinking water, the proper disposal of toilet waste, washing of hands and maintaining clean water sources.
But the villagers had gone ahead with a large gathering that day, putting several hundred people at risk.
This prompted medical authorities to say police could be brought in to force people to comply.
Dr Koroivueta says there's no need to panic but everyone has a duty to ensure the transmission of typhoid is reduced or stopped.
He suspects that water sources have been contaminated and tests are underway to assess this.
