The Honourable Peter Numu, Governor of Eastern Highlands Province
Mr John Gimiseve, the Honorable Provincial Administrator,
Dr. Joseph Apa, Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern Highlands Provincial Health Authority
Health workers, volunteers and partners in our polio campaign
To the people of Eastern Highlands Province
Ladies and gentleman, it is great to be here in Goroka today – my first time to visit this beautiful place. I am really happy to be here.
I have only been in my job as Regional Director for a few weeks, but I really wanted to come to PNG to thank the polio response team and the Government for all their hard work in responding to the polio outbreak.
The response is going very well. And it continues now with the next phase of the national immunization campaign that we are launching today.
Last year, 3.2 million children in PNG were vaccinated against polio – around 275,000 of them here in the Eastern Highlands. But the job is not done yet.
Polio is a very dangerous disease. It is highly contagious and spreads rapidly. It especially affects children, and causes paralysis and even death. There is no cure. Vaccination is the only weapon we have.
And to be properly protected, children need multiple doses of vaccine. This means that children who are not fully vaccinated are at risk.
So my first message today is to parents, and it is simple:
Parents, PLEASE, please, get your children fully vaccinated.
Please get your children under 15 years old vaccinated. The vaccines are available in health centers, mobile vaccination points, and in some cases health workers will come to you.
The oral polio vaccine is safe, effective and free. When given multiple times, it will protect your children for life.
My second message is to the community here in Goroka and the Eastern Highlands:
Please, help us to spread the word about the immunization campaign.
Church leaders, teachers, community leaders, everyone in villages and communities: help us get the word out about children getting vaccinated.
Tell your neighbors, relatives, friends, and workmates. Tell people who you meet in the markets, and see on the bus or in the street. Show them where the vaccination points are located.
Your Government is taking the lead on this and their leadership is very strong. The World Health Organization is taking that journey with you, which is why I am here today. But we also need your help to spread the word.
My third message is to our partners:
Thank you for your tremendous support in this campaign.
To the provincial government, the health workers, the vaccinators, the volunteers, the media here in Goroka: thank you. We cannot protect kids without your help.
To our international partners – the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Governments of Australia, Canada, the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom: thank you for all your support, including your financial assistance.
We have made huge progress in stopping this outbreak, but we are not there yet. We cannot be complacent: we must finish the job. And then we must also boost routine immunization so this doesn’t happen again.
Again, it is great to be with you to launch this next phase of the campaign to protect the children of this country from polio. Together, we can get it done.
Thank you very much.