By DALCY LULUA
PAPUA New Guinea stands among the 30 countries globally burdened with both tuberculosis (TB) and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), says the Deputy Secretary of the National Public Health Wing, Ken Wai.
Wai, while representing Health Secretary Dr Osborne Liko at a recent TB event in Port Moresby, underscored the stark toll of TB, with between 15 to 20 individuals succumbing to the disease daily, and an additional 115 to 200 people diagnosed with TB every day.
He said in PNG, TB remains a significant burden, with an estimated incidence rate of 424 cases per 100,000 people.
Wai cited data from the World Health Organisation’s 2023 report, indicating that globally, tuberculosis remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases, with millions falling ill and hundreds of thousands diagnosed with rifampicin/multi-drug resistant TB in 2022.
“Globally tuberculosis remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers,” he said.
“An estimated 40.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis, with more than 450, 000 new cases of rifampicin/multi-drug resistant (RR/MDR-TB) TB in 2022 and 1.3 million people died from TB according to the WHO’s 2023 report.”
Speaking on behalf of Dr Liko, Wai said the government recognises TB as a major public health concern and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the country.
He stressed the urgency of accelerating the TB response to prevent further loss of life, highlighting the need for collaborative efforts and significant investment in initiatives such as the Systematic Screening Initiative (SSI) for TB, which is currently underway in the National Capital District.
While acknowledging progress made in TB control efforts, Wai pointed out the need for accelerated action to achieve the end TB targets by 2030.
“We are sitting on a time bomb, such as we must accelerate our TB response before it gets out of end and we lose our populations to TB,” he said.
“The country has also made significant progress in TB, but these efforts need to be accelerated,” he said.
He urged collective action, highlighting the availability of better tools and treatment regimes to combat TB effectively.
Wai reiterated a simple yet critical message — TB is curable, preventable, and its transmission can be cut.
He said the importance of individual and collective efforts in eradicating TB from PNG, emphasising the significance of early detection and prompt treatment to prevent unnecessary deaths and illnesses.
