Polio outbreak confirmed in Papua New Guinea, World Health Organisation says

(ABC) -- The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea after diagnosing the virus in two healthy children.
Poliovirus type 2 was detected in wastewater samples in March this year, sparking a surveillance campaign in the major cities of Lae and Port Moresby.

The World Health Organisation says it has confirmed two polio infections in PNG. (Supplied: UNICEF/PNG/Chamber)

There was a small outbreak of the fast-spreading disease in PNG in 2018, but it was eradicated the same year.
WHO representatives say genetic sequencing has revealed the recent detection is linked to strains circulating in Indonesia, posing a serious risk to other countries in the region.
WHO, UNICEF and the PNG Department of Health have launched a response which includes rapid vaccination of key populations.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that mainly affects children under the age of five.
The virus is transmitted through the faeces and saliva of an infected person — often passed on via contaminated hands, food, or water — before it makes its way into somebody’s gut.
Most people infected with polio show no symptoms; the ones that do generally get a flu-like illness.
But in rare cases, the virus invades the nervous system, leaving one in 200 people with irreversible paralysis.
The WHO has expressed deep concern and says neighbouring countries are at risk as it declares an outbreak of polio virus in Papua New Guinea.
Community transmission of the virus was confirmed in the city of Lae, after a screening program detected the fast-spreading virus in two healthy children.
Poliovirus Type 2 has also been found in environmental samples in the capital Port Moresby.
WHO representative in PNG, Dr Sevil Huseynova, said the outbreak posed a serious risk to neighbouring countries.
“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,” she said.
She said the virus that was detected in PNG was genetically linked to strains circulating in Indonesia, which shares a land border with PNG.
Dr Huseynova said PNG was especially vulnerable due to low immunisation rates and suboptimal surveillance systems.
“Polio is a highly infectious disease, and in communities with low polio immunisation rates, the virus quickly spreads from one person to another,” she said.
A rapid response has been launched by the PNG health department with help from the WHO and UNICEF.
It will focus on vaccinating people, especially children under five years of age, in target areas, along with monitoring and surveillance.

(Latest Update May 16, 2025)