Polio outbreak declared in Papua New Guinea, spurring preparation for vaccination campaign

Papua New Guinea is experiencing a polio outbreak that has infected at least two children, according to health authorities who called for an immediate vaccination campaign.

The country of nearly 12 million people in Oceania launched a national response this week after detecting poliomyelitis, known also as polio, in two healthy children during routine screenings. Sewage testing confirmed the virus was circulating in Lae, its second-largest city.

Polio is a highly infectious disease that mostly affects young children. In severe cases, it can cause lifelong paralysis or death.

While it has mostly been stamped out globally, polio is still endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan and cases are occasionally reported elsewhere in the world.

Papua New Guinea was declared polio-free in 2000, but it experienced an outbreak in 2018 that paralysed 26 people.