Polio Outbreak Declared in Papua New Guinea

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea and is urging an “immediate” vaccination campaign.

During routine screenings in Lae, a coastal city in the northeast, samples of the highly contagious virus were detected in two healthy children.

Currently, less than half of the nation’s population is vaccinated against this serious disease. Although polio is on the verge of eradication globally, it has reemerged in various regions.

“We need to act swiftly,” stated Sevil Huseynova, WHO’s representative in Papua New Guinea, highlighting concerns that the disease could extend beyond the country’s borders.

Dr. Huseynova emphasized the necessity for “maximum effort” to achieve 100% vaccination coverage during a media briefing on Thursday, noting that “Polio knows no borders.”

Polio is caused by the poliovirus, which can spread through contact with an infected person’s feces or via droplets from coughs and sneezes. This illness primarily affects children under five years of age.

There is currently no cure for polio, and most people who catch it—like the two recent cases in Papua New Guinea—show no symptoms. Those who do may experience mild, flu-like illnesses.

A small fraction of those infected—between one in a thousand and one in a hundred—may develop severe complications leading to paralysis, which can be life-threatening if it impacts respiratory muscles.

After being declared polio-free in 2000, Papua New Guinea faced an outbreak in 2018 that was contained within the same year.

The recent cases exhibited a virus strain genetically connected to one circulating in Indonesia, which shares a border with Papua New Guinea’s eastern region.

Health Minister Elias Kapavore has committed to achieving 100% immunization against polio by the end of the year, stating, “There is no excuse… Polio is a serious disease.”

The vaccination campaign aims to reach around 3.5 million children under the age of 10.

The health department announced on Facebook that “the battle on polio starts today.”

The WHO, UNICEF, and the Australian government are collaborating with Papua New Guinea to implement the vaccination program.

UNICEF’s representative in Papua New Guinea, Veera Mendonca, highlighted the glaring disparities in vaccination rates, with some districts showing as low as 8% coverage. “That is not acceptable,” she remarked, noting that UNICEF is partnering with churches and community leaders to promote vaccination and combat misinformation.

In recent years, polio has resurfaced in various parts of Asia. Pakistan reported 74 cases last year, while Afghanistan had 24.

The WHO has also expressed concern over a potential outbreak in Gaza after traces of the virus were discovered in wastewater.