Health, WHO officials to fly in to Menyamya today

National, Normal
Source:

WALLACE KIALA

MEDICAL teams from the Health Department and World Health Organisation are expected to travel by helicopter from Nadzab to Menyamya today to assist provincial health authorities who are investigating the reported influenza and dysentery outbreak in the district.
Executive manager for public health Enoch Posanai, who said this yesterday, added that a provincial health team will accompany the group from Port Moresby once they arrived in Nadzab.
A “mysterious” disease has reportedly claimed nearly 50 lives around Menyamya in Morobe province.
Going by the symptoms reported by health workers on the ground, it is likely that they are cases of dysentery and influenza.
Mr Posanai said communities affected included those in the Karanas and Kundi catchment areas, Wailala and Wawoka catchment in Wapi LLG.
A WHO source yesterday said it was not known exactly how many people had died when the outbreak was first reported last month.
Supplies that included soap and drinking water and antibiotics have been sent to the affected areas.