The World Health Organization has declared a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea after detecting the virus in two healthy children during routine screening in Lae, a coastal city in the country's north east.
The country, previously polio-free since 2000, faces renewed risk with less than half the population immunized. The detected strain is genetically linked to one circulating in neighboring Indonesia, according to BBC.
Health authorities have launched an emergency vaccination campaign targeting 3.5m children under the age of 10. WHO, UNICEF, and the Australian government are supporting the rollout.
“Polio knows no borders. We must reach 100 percent coverage,” said WHO representative Dr. Sevil Huseynova, BBC reported.
Papua New Guinea’s health minister has pledged full immunization by year’s end amid rising concerns of cross-border spread.
