As many as 15 children under the age of five in Central Papua have reportedly died of measles.

Parish Priest of Christ the Redeemer Church in Timeepa, Yeskiel Belau, told Jubi News he estimated the number to be higher because there were areas that had not been checked.

The data obtained by the church stated as many as 83 children in his ministry area alone had had measles, he said.

“In the parish centre, there are five kombas (base communities). The 15 children who died were only from the five commanders. Excluding the Toubai, Degadai, Megai Dua, Abaugi, and Dioudimi Stations.

“If the number is added, it will surely explode,” he said.

Timeepa Health Center head Yoki Butu said his party was conducting post-handover services for the measles and rubella (MR) vaccine by the Acting Dogiyai Regent, Petrus Agapa, to prevent measles in Dogiyai District.

His party immediately administered drugs to the targeted babies, he said.

“Our immunisation coverage has been carried out, in my service area there are only four villages and we have done that,” Yoki said.

Regarding the death of the 15 toddlers, Jubi News reported Yoki said the measles case was not only in the Dogiyai area but was currently the concern of all parties because it had become an “extraordinary event” in Central Papua Province.

“So let’s join hands to break the chain of transmission,” he said.

Measles is a serious viral infection, which can spread to others via coughing and sneezing.

Samoan baby admitted to hospital
In Samoa, an 11-month-old baby has been admitted to hospital suspected of measles.

Director-General of Health Aiono Dr Alec Ekeroma told TV1 Samoa the infant was showing symptoms of measles and had been isolated to await results of blood samples sent to New Zealand.

He confirmed two other patients were tested recently and returned negative results.

The Ministry of Health were continuing the mumps measles and rubella (MMR) vaccination push around the country, according to Aiono.

“We’ve approved the payment of staff overtime to allow for them to work Saturday,” he said.

It had been three weeks since the MMR immunisation campaign started and they had reached 85 percent of babies with the first dosage, Aiono said.

The second dosage was only at 45 percent coverage, and Aiono urged parents to push for their children to be fully vaccinated with both doses.

“We hope to reach 80 percent coverage with the second dose by June,” he said.

Meanwhile, the latest test results are expected next week.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Papua New Guinea’s biggest referral hospital has reached a crisis point as the covid-19 pandemic positivity rate surged drastically to 85 percent yesterday.

Port Moresby General Hospital chief executive officer Dr Paki Molumi in the National Capital District (NCD) has revealed that three children with covid-19 had died three days ago.

He also said yesterday that the hospital had recorded the highest deaths on arrival — 50 on Monday, 40 on Tuesday and 30 on Wednesday.

This was a sign that the hospital was reaching a crisis point with services teetering on collapse unless they are immediately given more support.

“PMGH now we have reached a crisis point. The first surge we were able to manage, the second surge we were able to manage but this third surge which is the delta variant is very aggressive, and we are reaching a very critical term,” he said.

“Aggressive means in the first surge we saw a lot of older people getting infected, and so with the second surge.

“This one, we are getting very young people — we lost three kids three days ago. This surge is not discriminating with anyone, its affecting everybody.”

Another dilemma
The hospital is also faced with another dilemma — this time over dead bodies that urgently require money and paper work to be completed to pave the way for their burial.

The deceased include a staggering 300-plus dead bodies with many of them covid-19 related cases and the hospital does not know where it will put the new bodies that are coming out from its covid-19 wards.

Dr Molumi also said 94 of their medical staff were infected with the virus, 52 medical and 42 nursing staff of the hospital had been infected by the virus. They must be given days off for home isolation, further reducing manpower.

“We are faced with a crisis where cobvid patients are presenting in large numbers with shortness of breath requiring manpower to assist,” he said.

“The few staff left are overworked and fatigued and we need to recruit more staff urgently.

“Our staff are facing unprecedented mental health challenges, as we witness death tolls never seen in the history of our hospital.”

“Our AusMat triage tent in front of the PMGH is full, emergency department is full, the isolation ward is full, the covid ward is full and all other beds in different sections, including the maternity wing allocated to covid are also full with covid-19 patients.

‘Dying before reaching hospital’
“People are dying without reaching the hospital. Our mortuary recorded 50 deaths on admission on Monday, 40 deaths on admission on Tuesday and 30 deaths on admission today, with more expected tonight.

“We have never recorded such a high number of deaths on admission.

“The morgue is filled, with bodies packed on top of one another. Right now, 300 plus bodies are at the morgue.

“Three more refrigerated containers have been installed to store dead bodies, but this is not enough. Some bodies were left outside for days because we just don’t have space in the morgue.

“A mass burial of 200 bodies is being planned this week to create more space. The bodies are both covid positive and unclaimed non-covid,” he said.

“So we as the city’s hospital serving over a million population in the national capital district, Central Province as well as parts of Gulf — we are reaching a crisis point.

Matt Cannon, chief executive of St John Ambulance, also said the service was in crisis.

“I think it’s fair to say that the ambulance service at this stage is in a crisis level,” he said.

“Challenges they need to cater for increasing number of patients… our ambulance service is also seeing a stretch!”

Gorethy Kenneth is a senior PNG Post-Courier journalist.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A four-month-old baby boy has died from covid-19 in Fiji.

Health Secretary Dr James Fong has confirmed the child was admitted at the Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital five days before he succumbed to the virus.

He is among three deaths reported in Fiji over a seven day period between August 30 and September 7.

A partially vaccinated 66-year-old man and a 76-year-old, both from Naitasiri, died at their respective homes.

Eight people who tested positive for covid-19 have died from pre-existing conditions.

There have now been 528 deaths due to covid-19 in Fiji.

Also, 353 covid-19 positive patients have died from serious medical conditions that they had before they contracted the virus.

Current covid statistics
There are currently 169 covid-19 patients admitted to hospital. Eighty are admitted at the Lautoka Hospital, 12 at the FEMAT field hospital, and 77 are admitted at CWM Hospital, St Giles and in Makoi.

Twenty patients are considered to be in a severe condition, and 7 are critical.

The Fiji Health Ministry reports 240 new cases of covid-19 have been confirmed over a 24-hour-period ending 8 am yesterday.

Forty nine cases are from the Western Division, 32 from the Central Division and 159 from the Eastern Division.

Edwin Nand is a senior multimedia journalist with FBC News.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Tomorrow I will move a motion calling on the New Zealand Parliament to join the Green Party in recognising the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and statehood.

This is about acknowledging the humanity and dignity of Palestinians at a time when they are facing extreme violence and degradation, once again, at the hands of Israeli occupying forces.

The harrowing violence we are witnessing in Gaza and East Jerusalem are part of an ongoing atrocity against the Palestinian people.

Violence against civilians, whether committed by Hamas or the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) must be condemned in the strongest terms, but the massively disproportionate death toll — more than 200 Palestinian deaths, 50 of them children, and 10 Israelis, including two children — speaks to the context of a powerful military force indiscriminately attacking a trapped community.

The path forward from the latest bout of violence must be lasting peace, supported by the international community.

Statehood as part of a two-state solution would uphold and celebrate the inherent rights and dignity of Palestinians.

It would allow that strong and resilient community to move forward to a future where Palestinian children can look forward to building their lives free from violence, with hopes and dreams that they so richly deserve.

This is a longstanding Green Party kaupapa that we hope the House will unanimously support.

Golriz Ghahraman is a Green Party list MP and spokesperson on foreign affairs and social justice issues. She is an Iranian-Kiwi refugee and made history as the first ever refugee to be sworn in as an MP in New Zealand.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A woman has died of the covid-19 coronavirus in Papua New Guinea, becoming the sixth fatality from the deadly virus in the country so far, reports The National newspaper.

The 39-year old woman died on September 6 at the Port Moresby General Hospital, with the National Capital District now reaching 300 confirmed cases.

City residents have again been warned of the community transmission in the capital.

National Pandemic Response Controller David Manning, who is also the police chief, has urged people to strictly follow the covid-19 protocols, The National reported today.

He also called for more testing to be done throughout the country. The national total of infections is now 511.

The 13 provinces affected so far are NCD (300), Western Province (185), Central (seven), Morobe (five), East Sepik (three), East New Britain (two), West New Britain (two), Milne Bay (two), and one case each from Southern Highlands, Eastern Highlands, West Sepik, New Ireland and Autonomous Region of Bougainville.

“I call on the people to be vigilant, and for health facilities to continue testing,” Manning said.

“Only through testing can we identify those infected, isolate, quarantine their contacts and prevent further transmission.”

He said the majority of the cases were mild and moderate.

More than half cases asymptomatic
More than half (56 percent) of the cases were asymptomatic.

In Port Moresby, a 27-year old female was one of the confirmed cases who got tested at the St John Ambulance drive-through testing centre at Taurama.

She was swabbed on September 7 after experiencing influenza-like illness, headaches and chills.

The other new case is a 26-year old lawyer who lives at Hohola.

He got swabbed at the Rita Flynn Isolation Facility on September 7.

A 42-year old male who experienced a sore throat, fatigue, fever and cough tested positive at the Paradise International Hospital.

NZ extends alert levels
RNZ News reports that New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says Cabinet has decided to extend the current alert levels.

“On the advice of the director-general, Cabinet has decided on a short extension to the current restrictions of alert level 2.5 for Auckland and level 2 for the rest of the country,” she said today.

For Auckland, Cabinet will review the current level at a meeting next Monday, September 21, with a view to increase gathering limits, depending on whether the cluster is contained.

Ardern said it had been two weeks – one transmission cycle of the virus – since Auckland moved to level 2.5.

“In that time, we have identified a further 36 cases in the community – all are associated with the wider Auckland cluster and most were people who had a known link to the cluster and so were already isolated.”

There was one new case of covid-19 reported in New Zealand today, and updates were provided about the infected health worker who works at the Jet Park quarantine facility in Auckland.

Yesterday it also emerged that a person visited Les Mills gym in Takapuna while infectious, and that there 89 people considered to be close contacts.

Boy, 10, dies in Guam
In Guam, RNZ News reports that a 10-year-old boy has died after contracting covid-19 in Guam, taking the number of fatal cases there to 26.

In announcing his death, Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, said it had forced people to see the reality that covid-19 did not spare even the most innocent.

She said as a grandmother and mother herself, the loss seemed senseless.

“That’s because this virus isn’t reasonable. It won’t discriminate. It won’t get lazy,” she said.

“It will not grow tired, divisive or complacent. It will take what it can. And it’s our job to protect each other.”

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Pacific Media Watch

Pacific human rights activists have personally handed Indonesian President Joko Widodo a protest letter which includes a list of deaths and political prisoners in West Papua.

Written by West Papuan activists and signed by Greens leader Adam Bandt and Senator Richard Di Natale, the letter listed the names of 57 political prisoners charged with treason and held behind bars in seven cities across Indonesia, reports the community and indigenous radio The Wire.

The letter also included the names and ages of 243 civilians who have died during the Nduga military operation since December 2018, 110 of them children.

LISTEN TO THE WIRE: Letter given to President Widodo outlines West Papuan deaths

“These revelations ask the question of why President Widodo and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison would discuss economic ties and climate change, when human rights are at risk?”, The Wire asked.

Jokowi, as President Widodo is known, has been in Australia this week on a bilateral visit.

According to a media release made available to The Jakarta Post, the president was handed details on West Papua’s civilian death toll and political prisoners by activists in a bid to urge an end to the political and humanitarian crisis while he was visiting the Federal Parliament in Canberra.

“Our team in Canberra has managed to hand over letters to President Jokowi directly. The letters include names and locations of 57 political prisoners charged with treason and held behind bars in seven cities across Indonesia,” Indonesian human rights lawyer Veronica Koman said.

Names listed
“We also listed the names and ages of 243 civilians who have died during the Nduga military operation since December 2018.

“At the beginning of his first term in 2015, President Jokowi released five West Papuan political prisoners. Indonesians and West Papuans alike saw the move as a new hope for West Papua.

“But now, at the beginning of his second term, there are 57 people awaiting trial for treason, facing life imprisonment. This route will only fuel further conflict,” she said.

Koman said that the West Papuan governor, regents, church leaders, customary leaders, academics, activists and students had begged President Jokowi to withdraw troops from Nduga regency since December 2018, but the request had been ignored.

She said she hoped that Jokowi would halt the humanitarian crisis in the region as he now had the data, including the names of 110 dead children among the total of 243 people.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz