Pacific / Tonga

Testing hasn't uncovered typhoid carriers in Tonga

15:51 pm on 14 July 2015

Tonga's Ministry of Health says it still has not found any carriers of typhoid despite bouts of testing in the last two weeks.

Two sisters who were living together on 'Eua are the most recent cases of typhoid and were cleared and discharged on Saturday after being treated in Nuku'alofa for 14 days.

Last year there were eight confirmed cases.

The head of Communicable Diseases at the ministry, Seini Kupu, says more raw specimens have been requested from other people who may have been in contact with the two sisters

"We haven't been able to identify a carrier, even though we have something like 20 odd specimens sent from the island. But we still haven't come up with a positive specimen. So, that sort of hangs things in the air."

Dr Kupu says the ministry is continuing a campaign to help raise awareness of typhoid and other communicable diseases.