An outbreak of typhoid fever has forced the closure of two schools on Fiji's second island, Vanua Levu.
The Fiji Times reports that more than 300 students were sent home when health authorities ordered the closure of the Ratu Luke Memorial Primary and its sister secondary school in Bua.
The action came after 40 students were taken seriously ill followed by another 5 at the weekend.
Some students have been admitted to hospital while others have been treated and released.
160 cases of typhoid have been reported in Fiji so far this year, 70 of them in Vanua Levu.
Health authorities have warned people to be cautious of public gatherings because carriers of typhoid spread the deadly disease though contaminated food and drinking water.
