people have died from the first outbreak of
cholera in 50 years in Papua New Guinea
(PNG), and the disease must be urgently
contained before it spreads further, the World
Health Organization (WHO) says.
Eigil Sorensen, WHO’s representative in Papua
New Guinea, said the cholera appeared in two
coastal villages in northern Morobe Province at
the end of July and gradually spread to four
districts in the province, but was not identified
until a month later.
“Cholera hasn’t been reported in Papua New Guinea for the last 50 years,” Sorenson told
IRIN, adding that the world health body was investigating the cause of the outbreaks.
“It’s a major concern, mainly because the healthcare system in PNG remains weak …
Rural health services are quite weak and if cholera becomes endemic, it will become a
major challenge,” he said.
Of the 130 reported cases so far, there had been 12 deaths, Sorensen said, and the disease
appeared to be spreading through low level transmission.
“Since there is low level transmission and the number of cases remains relatively low, we
think there is no contamination of any major water sources,” he said.
However, the disease has appeared in Lae, the provincial capital, which Sorenson
attributed to people travelling from rural
areas into the city.
about eight to 10 days back to urban areas
and settlements of Lae,” said Sorenson.
Medical NGO Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF) said on 7 September that Angau
Hospital in Lae was on high alert over the
cholera outbreak, and that it had helped the
Ministry of Health establish a cholera
treatment centre there.
“MSF's emergency team has sent seven additional staff, including three nurses and a
