Outbreak being investigated

Authorities are trying to establish if the outbreak in Fiji is typhoid, shigellosis or cholera.

A health worker notified authorities today that 16 people in Labassa, on the island of Vanua Levu, had  bloody diarrhoea.

The outbreak is being investigated but aid agencies say Fiji had more than 100 cases of typhoid before the Category Four cyclone, Tomas, tore through the islands last week.

Authorities have also noted eight cases of serious illness in the Northern Division, but say they're not believed to be typhoid.

Unicef says it's sent water purification and first aid kits to Labassa to help treat the sick residents.