Officials need support

HEALTH workers need the support of parents to vaccinate every child during the integrated measles-rubella and polio campaigns, an official says.
United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) representative to Papua New Guinea David Mcloughlin said it was very important for children to be fully immunised against diseases that can be prevented by vaccines.
However, he said children would not bring themselves to the clinic to be immunised, hence it was the responsibility of the parents to ensure their children were protected.
“All of us want the best for our children,” Mcloughlin said.
He said because of the tireless efforts of thousands of health workers and volunteers, including the support of parents, more than three million children received polio vaccination.
He said it was teamwork that stopped the transmission of polio in the last seven months.
“We now have another opportunity to vaccinate children against two other serious and potentially deadly diseases,” he said.
“The strength and success of this campaign will be determined by the willingness of communities, parents and caregivers to bring their children to be vaccinated during the campaign period.
Mcloughlin shared a story of Ronoka Gauwa, 46, a school teacher from a remote village in Rai Coast District in Madang.
After hearing on the radio that polio was back in the country, Gauwa mobilised his students and made awareness in the surrounding villages to have their children immunised.