Australia pledges $5 million to combat PNG polio outbreak
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 was detected in stool specimens of two healthy children in PNG earlier in May. Pacific Minister Pat Conroy said the newly elected Labor government would fund vaccines through the WHO, with the potential to reach three million children. "Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the spread of polio," he said. "That's why we are working closely with the government of Papua New Guinea to step up vaccination efforts to protect children and ensure a healthy region."
PNG vaccination rates are estimated at around 44 per cent, giving rise to the potential for outbreaks. Polio, which is often carried without symptoms, primarily affects children, with a small number of cases causing paralysis and even death. Rates of the virus have plummeted in recent decades owing to a global eradication program, with polio now endemic in only Pakistan and Afghanistan.
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