Typhoid outbreak at school

By ELIAS LARI

MORE than 70 students at Pangia Secondary School in Southern Highlands have been treated at health centres after a typhoid breakout.

Classes have been suspended while the 78 students – 49 boys and 29 girls – were admitted at the Pangia and Ialibu health centres.

A senior teacher at the school, which has a roll of 1,000, confirmed the typhoid breakout saying parents and guardians were worried because classes were now well into term two.

The school, in the Ialibu- Pangia electorate, has been without a proper water supply for months. 

The Pondi tribe demanded compensation from the school for the water supply it gets from River Polu and when the demand was not met, members of the Pondi tribe blocked off the water supply.

The school then bought three Tuffa tanks to supply the 12 dormitories but it was not enough and the students were forced to use contaminated water at times.

Eric Pea, a concerned parent from Tindua village, said from Pangia he was concerned about the children’s education.

Pea said parents put a lot of trust in the school to look after their children.

“This is sad for us as parents and we want to ask the board of governors and the school what plans they have for the students,” he said.

Pangia Secondary School principal Alex Nakanol did not answer calls by The National for comments on the situation.