Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major, but often unrecognised, cause of disease and death among children in countries where the infection is endemic, like Papua New Guinea (PNG). Worldwide, of the 9.6 million people estimated to have fallen ill with the disease in 2014, one million were children.
Why providing TB treatment to vulnerable children is challenging
Getting treatment to children in these contexts is stymied by the lack of strategies and tools to guide diagnosis and treatment. The World Health Organisation lists the major reasons for this:
1. TB in children is rarely bacteriologically confirmed. As Dr Henry Welch, paediatrician and senior medical officer at Port Moresby General Hospital explains, diagnosis relies on patients coughing up sputum samples – which can be difficult to obtain from a young child. Even if a sample is obtained, it may not show a lot of TB “bugs” even if the disease is present.
2. Even when diagnosed, cases are not always reported to public health authorities. There are discrepancies between the data methodologies. These factors skew statistics and the imperatives for future programs.
3. In high-burden countries, children get lost under the weight of adult casualties. Dr Welch explains that childhood TB, not just in PNG but worldwide, is often put on the backburner because from a public health perspective the focus is on controlling TB in adults, because it is they who typically spread TB. This is despite, as Dr Welch believes, that children are most affected by the disease.
Counsellors at ChildFund’s free national helpline have been assisting people affected by a series of devastating earthquakes in the remote southern highlands of Papua New Guinea.
The ChildFund 1-Tok Kaunselin Lain has been providing crisis counselling to people in Southern Highlands and Enga Provinces, where an estimated 100 people have lost their lives and many more are injured or missing.
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the region last week, followed by a 6.7 magnitude aftershock on Wednesday.
Landslides, blocked roads and cracked airstrips have made it difficult to reach the area to assess the damage and provide support to affected communities. Many families outside of urban centres have been unable to access essential services.
The ChildFund 1-Tok Kaunselin Lain is the first national toll-free hotline service in PNG. As part of the service a team of trained counsellors provide crisis and trauma counselling and information, and referrals to nearby service providers where possible.
The hotline is one of the only accessible services for many people affected by the quakes, and will be promoted through radio stations and text messages in affected areas.
ChildFund is a member of the Protection Cluster, which plays an advisory role to PNG’s disaster management team, and, along with other members, has nominated a hotline counselling team member to be on call to join assessment groups.
The 1-Tok Kaunselin Helpim Lain – 7150 8000 – provides toll-free confidential telephone counselling, information and support for anyone experiencing gender-based violence in Papua New Guinea. ChildFund PNG is the lead implementing partner of the service, working in close partnership with the Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee and FHI 360. The service is funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), with contributions from ChildFund Australia and ChildFund New Zealand.
