Polio Outbreak in Papua New Guinea with Associate Dean Pacific Sir Colin Tukitonga

Last week the World Health Organisation declared a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea.

The Papua New Guinea government has activated its emergency response supported by the Australian Government, the WHO and UNICEF. 

The government has modified it’s response after a similar outbreak in 2018. The new response involves mass vaccination campaigns, enhanced surveillance of transmission and better localised community engagement. 

I spoke to the University of Auckland’s Associate Dean Pacific Sir Colin Tukitonga about the outbreak, what the response looks like on the ground and what lessons we can take from the Pacific when it comes to vaccinations at a time where New Zealand’s vaccination rates are the lowest in the OECD.