In an alarming declaration, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a polio outbreak in a remote area and urged immediate vaccination.
See the tweet below.
Less than half of Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) population is vaccinated against this highly infectious disease that primarily threatens children.
The WHO recently declared a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea after finding the virus in two healthy children during routine screening in Lae, a coastal city in the country’s northeast.
The same virus type was also detected in environmental samples from Port Moresby, the nation’s capital, suggesting wider spread.
Papua New Guinea’s vaccination rate against polio sits below 50%, far under the WHO-recommended 80% coverage needed to prevent outbreaks.
Even more concerning, vaccination rates vary wildly across the country, with some areas reporting rates as low as 8% while others reach 82%.
Health officials confirmed the virus is genetically linked to strains found in Indonesia, which shares a border with Papua New Guinea.
This cross-border transmission highlights how easily infectious diseases can spread across international boundaries when proper controls are not in place.
WHO representative in PNG, Dr Sevil Huseynova, said, “Polio anywhere is a threat everywhere, especially to our children. Polio in Papua New Guinea can spread to neighbouring countries and anywhere in the world.”
Moreover, this disease mainly affects children under five and can cause irreversible paralysis in rare cases and there is no cure.
Papua New Guinea had been polio-free since 2000 until an outbreak in 2018, which was eventually contained through targeted vaccination efforts.
The current response includes a mass immunization program targeting approximately 3.5 million children aged 0 to 10.
#PapuaNewGuinea, along with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, @Rotary, @WHO and @UNICEF, is set to launch an #immunization campaign to fight the #polio outbreak in the country: https://t.co/1Tnt7ehTsR #VaccinesWork pic.twitter.com/3TeOn6oFdl
— World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific (@WHOWPRO) July 12, 2018
At the same time, Australia is providing technical assistance, while UNICEF and WHO are supporting the effort.
“WHO requires us to have immunisation coverage of above 80 per cent at the moment, unfortunately our coverage is below 50 per cent and that has been a huge concern to us,” PNG Health Minister Elias Kapavore stated.
This outbreak joins growing concerns about polio’s resurgence globally. Recent cases have been reported in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the WHO has warned of a potential outbreak in Gaza after finding virus traces in wastewater.
The PNG outbreak serves as a reminder that disease threats respect no boundaries – and that a nation without secure borders cannot protect its citizens from imported health risks.
