Fiji must remain vigilant against the introduction of deadly diseases, says Health Minister Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu.
In introducing the Quarantine (Amendment) Bill 2025 in Parliament, Dr Lalabalavu said the increase in the number of airplanes arriving at our ports means the need for greater vigilance at our borders.
“Large ships that regularly berth at our sea ports traverse large oceans and berth at many international ports, more than what we used to have before, which requires our close monitoring of diseases patterns in these nations and their ports of entry,” he said.
“This Bill is necessary because Fiji must remain vigilant against the introduction of deadly diseases and of greatest concern in our Pacific region is malaria, spread by the Anopheles mosquito. Several of our neighbouring countries in the South Pacific have Malaria as an endemic disease. If Malaria is introduced here, it would not go away.”
And this he said, would cause debilitating illness, suffering, and death for generations.
“We must be clear, no level of foreign investment or economic gain can ever compensate for the cost of Malaria in our communities.
“Prevention is not optional, it is a matter of national survival.
“That is why we require vessels and aircraft from malaria-affected ports to enter only through designated ports of entry, where strict checks are enforced. This Bill strengthens that safeguard.”
