Cabinet has approved an Agreement with the Government of French Polynesia to strengthen arbovirus diagnostic, surveillance and research capabilities within the Fiji Centre for Disease Control (Fiji CDC).
Arboviruses are viruses transmitted by insects, for example mosquitoes that spread dengue fever.
The project, known as Fiji SHARE Project, stands for the Surveillance of Human Arboviruses at Risk of causing Epidemics in the Pacific.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka while announcing this decision in a media conference said the project will be jointly implemented by the Fiji CDC and the Institute Louis Malarde (ILM), which is a research and public health institute under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health of French Polynesia.
He said this project is focused on the progressive transfer of technical expertise and research experience from the ILM to the Fiji National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) at the Fiji CDC.
“ILM and our CDC have collaborated for more than 10 years, and this support will further strengthen the role of the Fiji CDC in the region.”
