By ANDREW ALPHONSE
A DISASTER assessment team will fly into the remote Bosavi area in the Southern Highlands province today to investigate reports of human and animal deaths after being afflicted by a mysterious disease.
Six people and over 1,000 pigs and other animals have died after contracting what medical experts suspect is the classical anthrax infection.
Deputy State of Emergency controller Chief Supt Norman Kambo told The National from Mendi yesterday there were some delay in logistics and the team could not make it to the area yesterday as originally planned.
Mr Kambo said the investigation team will travel today with the first lot of medical supplies.
He said the team includes a medical doctor and laboratory technician based at the Mendi General Hospital, two provincial government officers from the division of agriculture and livestock, two policemen attached to the SoE operations and some media personnel.
Mr Kambo said the group would take the first batch of medical supplies, mostly antibiotics to the people affected by the infection.
The medical supplies and drugs were supplied by Mendi hospital and SoE field mobile clinic.
Mr Kambo said more supplies from Mt Hagen medical store would be delivered to Mendi today for packing together with the other supplies.
He said the team would travel by road to Moro from Mendi to save cost before being airlifted by helicopter into Bosavi.
He said a veterinarian with National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (NAQIA) in Port Moresby is already in Moro and will join the team.
They would get blood samples from affected humans and animals for further tests.

 

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