Cyclone Yasa sparks disease fears in already ravaged Fiji

A spate of diseases threatens to worsen an already desperate situation in Fiji -- where thousands of lives have been devastated in the wake of the deadly super cyclone Yasa.

Yasa is a top category-five storm that made landfall on Thursday.

Four people died and entire villages were wiped out, with crops and livestock destroyed.

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Agencies rushed food and clean water to areas where the storm smashed into the northern islands of the South Pacific nation on Thursday night, forcing more than 23,000 people to flee their homes.

Agriculture officials are also being sent to hard-hit areas to help farmers dispose of dead livestock to reduce the risk of disease, National Disaster Management Office director Vasiti Soko said.

Fiji is prone to violent storms at this time of year. Cyclone Winston killed 44 people when it slammed into the islands in 2016.

Aerial assessment showed that Bua province on the northern island of Vanua Levu suffered 70% damage and destruction, while the small island of Kia was completely destroyed, Fiji Red Cross Director General Ilisapeci Rokotunidau said.

While the largest island of Viti Levu - where about three-quarters of Fijians live - was spared the worst, Vanua Levu and other small islands were in dire need of fresh water and shelter.