Boarders sent home after typhoid confirmed in village

Beulah College at Vaini, Tongatapu, closed its boarding house and 200 boarders returned home, after a case of typhoid fever was confirmed in Vaini village in late September.

Principal Mele Vaihola said today he boarding house had remained closed since late last month to prevent the risk of typhoid being contracted by any of its students.

She said school continued as usual for their 357 students but the 70 percent who boarded had been let off due to the typhoid case.

“We decided it's best to take this precautionary measure to be on the safe side because we have so many students boarding and food is always being brought from outside by their families to eat,” she said.

Typhoid fever is highly contagious and can be fatal if left untreated.

“Beulah boarding will remain temporarily closed until we receive the clear confirmation from the Ministry of Health that the typhoid case has recovered and there has been no other risk,” she said.

Beulah is a co-educational secondary school of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

At the same time, it is reported that large gatherings and feasts at the village have been banned due to the typhoid case.

Access to clean water

Typhoid Fever is a bacterial disease spread through contaminated food and water or close contact. Symptoms include high fever, headache, belly pain, and either constipation or diarrhea. It can spread through poor hygiene habits and poor public sanitation conditions. An infected person can pass the bacteria out of their body in their stools (faeces). If someone else eats food or drinks water that's been contaminated with a small amount of infected faeces or urine, they can become infected with the bacteria. Typhoid fever is most common in parts of the world that have poor sanitation and limited access to clean water.