Border measures to fight polio

REPRESENTATIVES from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia have agreed on border measures to prevent the spread of polio, measles, rubella and other vaccine-preventable diseases between the countries.
A regular cross-border meeting is aimed to enhance coordination and collaboration through regular exchange of surveillance and immunisation information.
“Indonesia is our strategic neighbour and the collaboration between our countries will enable us to jointly protect our citizens from infectious diseases,” said Dr Sibauk Vivaldo Bieb, acting deputy secretary and national polio response coordinator of the PNG Health Department.
“Working together ensures our public health measures are coordinated as per recommendations of the international health regulations.”
Both countries agreed on specific actions that would be implemented in response to the ongoing polio outbreak in PNG. This includes synchronising vaccination campaigns, mapping of high risk areas and healthcare facilities for border crossing, establishment of polio vaccination posts at cross borders, enhancing disease surveillance and conducting joint investigations.
Three provinces share borders between the two countries – West Sepik and Western from the PNG side and Papua province from the Indonesia side. Given the proximity of Papua province to PNG and in consideration of significant population movement between the two countries, Indonesia has initiated measures since the confirmation of the polio outbreak in PNG.
These measures include conducting regular risk assessments, enhancing surveillance and including polio vaccine in its ongoing measles-rubella vaccination campaigns for children up to five years old.
“There is significant population movement between our countries and working together will help us detect diseases rapidly and implement response measures appropriately,” according to Dr Aloysius Giyalm of the Provincial Health Office of Jayapura, Indonesia.
“Diseases do not respect borders .so we have to work together for the mutual protection of our people.”