Health dept sends measles team to province

By Faye Mika
THE surveillance and disease control unit at the Health Department is sending a team to Kiunga after receiving reports of confirmed measles cases.
According to the disease surveillance and emergency programme officer Berry Ropa there were seven confirmed cases so far and he had prepared a team to go there to carry out a vaccination programme.
“We have received seven positive cases as of yesterday and will begin the vaccination programme for children under the age of 15 years,” he said.
Western had the second highest number of positive cases after Port Moresby where seven  new positive cases brought up the number to 19.
Ropa confirmed that the youngest patient yesterday was one year old and the oldest was 34.
“We have received reports of positive adult cases but it should not be a real concern as its effects are not as detrimental as to the children’s case,” he said.
Ropa said the situation at Western had been identified as an outbreak and he had a team of two who will be travelling once their logistics were approved.
Meanwhile the Central Public Health Laboratory, the only qualified lab in the country, has received two suspected blood samples from Bougainville, one from Goroka and  one from Kavieng.