World

News in Brief

Australia pledges $5 million to combat PNG polio outbreak

Pacific Minister Pat Conroy has said the investment would help polio vaccines reach as many as three million children in Papua New Guinea.

A woman holds a baby being administered the polio vaccine via a droplet into the mouth.

Papua New Guinea's polio vaccination rates are estimated at around 44 per cent, and this year has seen the country's first recorded outbreak since 2018. Source: AAP / Brendan Esposito / PR Image

Australia will spend $5 million towards vaccinations in Papua New Guinea after the declaration of the country's polio outbreak since 2018.

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.

Vaccine-derived poliovirus is a strain which mutated from the oral polio vaccine, and can spread in communities that are not fully vaccinated against polio.

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."

Papua outbreak bucks a global trend

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.


For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.

Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world