Last week, it was confirmed that poliovirus has re-emerged and is recirculating in the community in Papua New Guinea, for the first time since 2018.
Polio (poliomyelitis) is caused by a highly infectious virus (poliovirus) that can be prevented with vaccination. The virus primarily affects children under five years old and is spread by person-to-person contact or through the consumption of food or water that has been contaminated with fecal material of an infected person.
The strain circulating is vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), which was confirmed through laboratory testing that identified positive environmental (wastewater) detections in 2 provinces and positive samples in 2 healthy children, who were vaccinated.
This is the first occurrence of vaccine-derived poliovirus in the country since 2018, after it was declared polio-free in 2000. Five rounds of supplementary immunisations were conducted in 2018 to bring that outbreak under control, and vaccination coverage was back up to 97% by the end of 2018.
Burnet director and CEO Professor Brendan Crabb AC said it was a setback for public health.
“Seeing poliovirus re-emerge in Papua New Guinea after having had no cases in more than 7 years is a sign that health systems and immunisation programs need increased support,” he said.
“This is concerning for Papua New Guinea, a country that had made so much progress in this space.”
Professor Crabb said it was imperative to ensure routine immunisations were kept up to date and that locally led programs were embedded in the community.
“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was two-fold; firstly, it put a strain on already stretched health systems, including those in Papua New Guinea, and secondly, misinformation and disinformation has had a negative impact on the uptake of routine immunisations, particularly for children,” he said.
“Widespread immunisation is imperative to prevent diseases like poliovirus, which we have come so close to eliminating.”
Currently, Papua New Guinea’s vaccination rates are among the lowest in the world, with only about 50% of children born each year receiving the recommended childhood vaccines, including poliovirus vaccination. To prevent outbreaks of disease, coverage should be at least 80% and preferably 95% to induce herd immunity.
Burnet has several projects underway in Papua New Guinea and across the Pacific region to increase access to vaccination, including the zero-dose project, which aims to understand the challenges of accessing routine vaccination for children and to develop strategies to address these barriers.
Run in conjunction with the East New Britain Provincial Health Authority and Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, the project aims to remove the barriers to childhood immunisations and ensure everyone has access to vaccination, regardless of where they live, particularly people in rural or remote areas.
The Australian Government is working closely with the Papua New Guinean Government, the World Health Organization and UNICEF to support the response to the detection of poliovirus in the country.
Professor Crabb said Burnet, which has a permanent presence in Papua New Guinea through its offices in Port Moresby, Kokopo and Daru, was working with its partner organisations in the country to support the response.
“We are actively monitoring the situation and will work with government departments and our partner organisations to assist in the response,” he said.
“We have more than 100 staff based in Papua New Guinea, who we are supporting and ensuring they have access to advice and assistance.
“We are encouraging our staff in Papua New Guinea, and anyone planning travel in or out of the country, to ensure their vaccination status is up to date.”
Australia has not had a major outbreak of polio since 1961.
“While the risk of contracting poliovirus in Australia is low, with immunisation rates against poliovirus at 95%, it is concerning that our nearest neighbour has detected cases of the virus,” Professor Crabb said.
“The re-emergence of poliovirus cases in Papua New Guinea is a reminder that the last mile in the global eradication of polio remains a challenge.”
“It is more important than ever that we support our international partners to strengthen health systems to allow them to swiftly respond to health emergencies like this.”
Vaccination advice
To be fully vaccinated against polio, you must have had a primary course or booster vaccination in the last 10 years.
Anyone planning international travel into or out of Papua New Guinea is advised to ensure they have had a booster in the past 12 months.
For more information on poliovirus vaccination from the Australian Government, visit: https://immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au/contents/vaccine-preventable-diseases/poliomyelitis#recommendations