Papua New Guinea is facing a renewed public health emergency after the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared a polio outbreak, urging authorities to launch an urgent and comprehensive vaccination campaign.
The virus was recently detected in two healthy children during routine health screenings in Lae, a northeastern coastal city. Although the children showed no symptoms, laboratory results confirmed the presence of the poliovirus—an alarming sign that the disease is circulating silently in the community.
“This is a critical moment,” said Dr. Sevil Huseynova, WHO’s representative in Papua New Guinea. “We must act immediately. Polio does not respect borders, and the threat of it spreading further is very real,” according to the BBC.
Currently, fewer than half of Papua New Guinea’s population is vaccinated against polio—a disease that was nearly eradicated globally but has recently re-emerged in several regions. The low immunization rate is a significant concern for health authorities, who stress that full vaccination coverage is the only way to stop the virus in its tracks.
Polio, which primarily affects children under 5, is a highly contagious virus spread through contact with infected feces or respiratory droplets. While many infected individuals show no symptoms, a small percentage suffer severe complications—including paralysis, which can be fatal if respiratory muscles are affected.
Papua New Guinea had been declared polio-free in 2000 until a brief outbreak occurred in 2018, which was swiftly contained. The latest cases are believed to be linked to a strain of the virus circulating in neighboring Indonesia, prompting regional concerns.
Health Minister Elias Kapavore has pledged to push for full national immunization by the end of this year. “There is no excuse. Polio is a serious and life-altering disease,” he said during a public announcement.
The nationwide vaccination campaign aims to reach about 3.5 million children under the age of 10. The Health Department, in a social media statement, declared: “The battle on polio starts today.”
International partners are backing the response. UNICEF and the Australian government have joined the WHO in providing vaccines, logistics, and outreach support.
Still, challenges persist. In some remote districts, vaccination rates are as low as 8%—a figure UNICEF’s country representative, Veera Mendonca, called “simply unacceptable.”
UNICEF is collaborating with faith groups and community leaders to combat vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, both of which continue to hinder immunization efforts in hard-to-reach areas.
The resurgence of polio is not limited to Papua New Guinea. Pakistan and Afghanistan reported 74 and 24 cases respectively last year. More recently, the WHO expressed concern over a potential outbreak in Gaza, where poliovirus was detected in wastewater samples.
The message from global health officials remains clear: without swift, inclusive, and decisive vaccination campaigns, polio could once again gain a foothold in vulnerable communities. For Papua New Guinea, the time to act is now.
