Latest news with #Morobe
RNZ News
9 hours ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Polio vaccines set to arrive in PNG next week, says health minister
Then-WHO regional director for the Pacific, Dr Shin Young-soo provides oral polio vaccine in Lae in Morobe in 2018. Photo: supplied Papua New Guinea's health minister, Elias Kapavore, says polio vaccines are set to arrive in the country next week. The World Health Organisation declared an outbreak of the disease in PNG last month. The Post Courier reported that as of 6 June, 48 cases of acute flaccid paralysis - a condition characterized by rapid onset of muscle weakness or paralysis, but not a disease in itself - had been reported across 11 provinces. Of these, 20 tested negatives for poliovirus, and 28 remain under investigation. Kapavore said the primary objective is to protect children from paralysis and prevent further virus transmission. Kapavore said vaccines are scheduled to arrive between 16 and 20 June. The estimated cost for two rounds of the vaccination campaign is 88 million kina (US$21.4m). So far, 74 million kina has been secured through the PNG and Australian governments and from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, as well as technical and logistical support from WHO and UNICEF, including the full cost of the nOPV2 vaccine supply. During the recent World Health Assembly in Geneva, Kapavore presented PNG's national statement, reaffirming its commitment to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and advocating for cross-border coordination, especially with Indonesia. "The genetic link to the Indonesian strain [of polio] highlights the urgency of strengthening biosecurity capacity at the Papua New Guinea-Indonesia border," he said. "We must scale up surveillance and immunisation at these points of entry through coordinated efforts by the Departments of Health, Agriculture, Defence, Immigrations and Border Security, to prevent future cross-border transmission of polio and other infectious diseases." He called upon every MP to actively support vaccination and awareness efforts in their constituencies. Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation has raised concern about comebacks of vaccine-preventable disease in east Asia and the Pacific. In the first months of 2025, countries like Cambodia, Mongolia, the Philippines and Vietnam have reported a sharp rise in measles cases compared with the same period last year. UNICEF regional director for East Asia and the Pacific, June Kunugi, said measles and polio are highly infectious. "And children are paying the price for gaps in coverage, delayed care, and misinformation. No child should suffer or die from a disease we know how to prevent."
Arab News
21-05-2025
- Health
- Arab News
WHO says vaccine-derived poliovirus detected in Papua New Guinea
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) had been detected in stool specimens of two healthy children in Papua New Guinea on May 9. The detection of wild poliovirus or vaccine-derived poliovirus, including from samples taken from healthy children, is considered a serious public health event, WHO said in a statement. It added that the detection of circulating type 2 poliovirus was classified as a 'polio outbreak.' Wild polio is only endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but vaccine-derived polio continues to cause outbreaks in a wider range of countries. For example, this year, countries including Nigeria and Ethiopia, among others, have reported tens of cases of paralysis caused by polio. This is the first polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea since 2018, when an outbreak was reported in the same area as the new detections, Lae city in Morobe province. Vaccination protects against all forms of polio, but coverage rates in Papua New Guinea are only around 44 percent for the third dose needed for protection, the WHO said. Efforts are now underway to detect further transmission and boost vaccination coverage in the affected area. Poliomyelitis, which is spread mainly through the faecal-oral route, is a highly infectious virus that can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis and death in young children, with those under 2 years old most at risk. In nearly all cases it has no symptoms, making it hard to detect.
Zawya
04-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
South Africa's SMEs optimistic about 2025 economic climate, but will it last?
South African small and medium enterprises (SMEs) entered 2025 with an encouraging sense of optimism. This is according to the latest SME confidence Index, conducted by Business Partners Limited, which reveals that over 58% of respondents felt optimistic about the economic climate in 2025. David Morobe, executive general manager: Impact Investing at Business Partners Limited, notes that this surge in confidence is a positive shift for a sector that has weathered significant economic uncertainty in recent years. 'SMEs have displayed resilience and renewed hope for business growth in 2025, supported by factors such as the first interest rate cut since 2020 and lower inflation,' he says. Confidence indicators show positive trends Year-on-year, SME confidence improved across multiple areas. Levels of confidence that the South African economy will be conducive to business growth in the next 12 months increased by 9 percentage points, reaching 69%, while confidence levels that SMEs will experience business growth in the next 12 months rose to 84%, a 6-percentage point increase year-on-year. Confidence levels in access to business finance also climbed to 64% - up by 7 percentage points year-on-year – while levels of confidence in finding skilled staff improved to 72%, up by 3 percentage points year-on-year. Despite these gains, confidence in certain key areas remains subdued. SME confidence in South Africa's labour laws supporting business growth declined by 4 percentage points year-on-year to 59%. Whereas confidence in government efforts to foster SME development increased by 5 percentage points year-on-year, it dropped 3 percentage points quarter-on-quarter to 47%. Can this optimism withstand external challenges? While SMEs started the year with confidence, several external factors have already posed challenges for business growth in the first quarter. The national return of loadshedding and the introduction of water shedding in Johannesburg raise concerns about operational stability. Additionally, while South Africa's Government of National Unity (GNU) has remained somewhat stable, policy differences surrounding the outcomes of the rescheduled Budget Speech and international relations could impact SME confidence. 'SMEs thrive on stability, and while their confidence was high going into 2025, it remains critical that external factors such as infrastructure reliability be addressed. It is also important that investment into initiatives that stimulate economic growth and advance cooperation among Government leaders is prioritised to support sustained business growth,' says Morobe. The top three challenges identified in the SME Index are cash flow, economic conditions, and funding. While late client payments continue to be a concern, h the confidence that clients will pay on time has remained at 72% quarter-on-quarter. However, this represents a 3-percentage point improvement year-on-year. What SMEs need to thrive Access to finance remains a critical factor, with SMEs indicating importance levels of 86% when it comes to funding as essential for growth and sustainability. The importance of access to SME-specific information and resources increased to 85%, while mentorship remains highly valued, with an 83% importance rating. Social media as a marketing tool gained further recognition, rising to 86% in importance, a 2-percentage point increase year-on-year. Infrastructure concerns and opportunities For the first time, the SME Confidence Index explored perceptions of local infrastructure and its impact on business success. While a majority of SMEs view road (53.85%), water (62.35%), and waste/sanitation (61.65%) infrastructure in their business areas as suitable, a notable percentage of respondents indicated that infrastructure remains inadequate or only slowly improving. 'The findings highlight the need for ongoing investment in infrastructure to ensure businesses can operate optimally,' says Morobe. 'The government's commitment to accelerating infrastructure investment, as outlined in the recent 2025 Budget Speech, is a step in the right direction,' he concludes. All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
