19 Feb 2013

Tsunami-related health problems under control in Solomons' Temotu

1:18 pm on 19 February 2013

The top health official in the Solomons province hit by a magnitude eight earthquake and subsequent tsunami says so far there has been no outbreak of disaster-related illness.

Thousands of people remain displaced following the event, which killed at least 10 people on the main Santa Cruz island of Ndende in Temotu province and has been followed by hundreds of aftershocks.

The acting director of provincial health services, Augustin Bilbe, says the loss of electricity destroyed the vaccines being used in a mass immunisation campaign against common diseases such as tuberculosis and whooping cough.

But he says they have been replaced and other health issues are also under control.

"Currently we have a mobile team - they have reported some cases of acute respiratory infections and conjunctivitis or red eye and a few diarrhoeal disease but the situation is still OK. There is not any outbreak."

Augustin Bilbe says extra medical staff from Honiara are assisting the local team.