The government of Papua New Guinea is under fire for its lack of attention to a tuberculosis epidemic. The deadly disease affects one in 250 citizens and spreading. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) says PNG is in the top ten for countries most affected by tuberculosis. Specifically, the Western Province’s capital city of Daru has been declared a hot spot for tuberculosis by the World Bank. The overcrowded city makes the disease spread quickly, but rural citizens may be in more danger- transportation and access to the hospital are especially difficult. The infection requires a lot of medication, which if not finished, mutates the treatable disease into a multi-drug resistant form. Half of those infected with multi-drug resistant TB die, in part due to the high cost of medication. Although the government has the funds contain the disease, PNG spent millions of dollars hosting the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) conference, leading many to question PNG’s priorities.
I was shocked that the government is not paying more attention to this epidemic. In Daru, one in 10 cases of TB are now multi-drug resistant, and there are 500 new cases every year (3% of the population). I think that with such a high level of TB, the government should be spending more money on treatments than on conferences. Something needs to be done about the lack of transportation to the hospital from rural areas as well. PNG is a developing country, which is why the World Bank is focused on the area. I wonder if they will help with funding or if the government’s lack of attention will be an issue.