Secretary for Health

A three-year-old girl from Gulf Province and a 23-year-old male from New Ireland were diagnosed with measles and were confirmed positive on the 22^nd of December, 2019.

In a press conference today, Secretary for Health, Pascoe Kase, confirmed the detection of two measles cases in Gulf and New Ireland Province since their last update in December 2019.

Secretary for Health, Pascoe Kase, made this announcement during a media conference held on Friday 13^th December at the National Health Office in Port Moresby.

Secretary Kase, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation’s and UNICEF PNG’s representatives, made statements on the status of measles in PNG and the Pacific Region and urged the public to be alert and not let their guards down.

Kase alerted the public on the importance of immunisation for children due to the recent outbreak of measles in the region, including Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and Australia.

NCD Health Services now falls under the management of the city authority.

For many years Port Moresby’s health services have suffered with patients paying the price of this administrative blunder.

Management and running of most of the provincial clinics and health centres across the country fall directly under their provincial governments but this has not been the case for Port Moresby clinics and health centres.

Secretary for Health Pascoe Kase said due to this, provision of health services in the nation’s capital has performed below required indicators.

Kase made the appeal today (March 4, 2017) while brushing aside false social media alarms about bad effects of the vaccination.

Some people might have mild side effects when they get the vaccine such as pain, redness or swelling at the site of the injection…that usually pass quickly, according to the Health Secretary.

“More severe side effects such as anaphylactic (allergic) reaction are extremely rare. They normally only happen if you’re allergic to an ingredient in the vaccine,” he said.