More Aust funding for polio work

The Australian government will provide a further K14.22 million (A$6 million) to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) to support the Papua New Guinea’s response to the current polio outbreak.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Marise Payne, who made this announcement in Port Moresby yesterday, said Australia’s contribution the initiative would support the delivery of PNG’s polio response plan.
She said the Australian government was committed to the work of global polio eradication and had contributed K246.43 million (A$104 million) to support the initiative since 2011. Payne said PNG was Australia’s closest neighbour, and a strong response was needed to protect both PNG’s and Australia’s health security.
In June, the PNG Government declared a national public health emergency in response to confirmed cases of polio.
The PNG Government, along with key partners including Global Polio Eradication Initiative, World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) have developed an outbreak response plan that includes mass vaccination of children from the age of 15 years downwards.