Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) commends the Government for reaffirming Australia's support for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (the Initiative) by maintaining the $15 million commitment for 2013-14;

(2) notes that:

(a) on 13 January 2014, India passed three years without reporting a single case of polio, an achievement reports say will lead to the entire South-East Asia Region of the World Health Organisation being certified as polio-free later in 2014;

(b) lessons learned from India's success are now part of the Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013-2018 announced at the Global Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi in 2013;

(c) the Initiative should mobilise the polio eradication infrastructure for broader child survival efforts wherever possible, ensuring that the knowledge, capacities, processes and assets created by the Initiative contribute to reducing child deaths, accelerating the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 4;

(d) despite ongoing security challenges, in the three countries where polio remains endemic—Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria—the proportion of children vaccinated during 2013 increased;

(e) in 2013 for the first time in the history of the Initiative, all cases of poliomyelitis caused by a wild virus were due to a single serotype, type 1; the most recent case due to wild poliovirus type 3 occurring on 10 November 2012 in Nigeria, while a case of poliovirus type 2 has not been detected since 1999;

(f) polio outbreaks in previously polio-free countries—Somalia, Syria, Cameroon—and the presence of the polio virus in Egypt and Israel are constant reminders of the need to ensure the polio program is fully funded and of the need for countries to take full ownership of the implementation of emergency plans; and

(g) the World Health Organisation, its Initiative partners and the GAVI Alliance have initiated a joint program of work to ensure polio eradication infrastructure systematically contributes to improving routine immunisation coverage; and

(3) calls on the Government to continue to support polio eradication by reaffirming Australia's commitment to provide $80 million over four years from 2015 to 2018 to the Initiative.

To have a sense of how difficult it is to eradicate an infectious disease, we need only consider that in human history we have achieved this twice: we have achieved it with smallpox and also with rinderpest, a viral disease that affects cattle, sheep and other ruminants. Yet today we are on the cusp of being able to add a third disease to this list, in the form of polio. It was an Australian, Frank Fenner, who played a key role in driving the smallpox eradication effort, and it was an Australian in Sir Clem Renouf who was pivotal in kick-starting Rotary's efforts to eradicate polio. Australian aid funding and the work of our NGOs continues to assist a worldwide effort that is carrying us towards the finish line in 2018, when hopefully the World Health Organisation will be in a position to declare the world polio free.

Under the leadership of Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, Australia significantly increased its commitment to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the GPEI. In 2011 the Labor government pledged $50 million over four years. In March last year, we committed a further $80 million for four years from 2015-16. At the time this motion was tabled, that further funding for polio eradication remained in doubt, and I acknowledge the efforts led by the Global Poverty Project, and in particular Michael Sheldrick, and Rotary to convince the current government to match Labor's funding. At a time when the aid budget has been significantly cut, the Prime Minister's announcement a few weeks ago at the Rotary International Conference in Sydney that the government would honour Labor's commitment was very welcome.

Polio is a crippling disease with a simple solution—two small drops. We know what is required to eradicate polio; we just have to fund it. That is why the commitment by Australia to the GPEI is pivotal to achieving a polio-free world. The gains made to date in the provision of vaccines and the spread of routine immunisation are impressive. In March 2014, 11 countries in the South-East Asian region—including India, comprising 1.8 billion people—were declared polio free by the World Health Organisation. This meant the proportion of the world's population living polio free jumped from 52 per cent to 80 per cent, an incredible leap forward.

Now is the time to press forward and bring an end to polio in countries like Nigeria and everywhere the disease is endemic. Progress in Nigeria over the past year has been promising, especially in Kano state, the main source of polio viruses in the country. Only a few years ago Nigeria had more polio cases than any other country. Last year, Nigeria saw a 50 per cent reduction in polio cases compared to the previous 12 months. As of 10 April this year, only one case had been reported. Today, we can see our way to the end of the disease in that country. But the time to invest is now. Significant challenges remain. Insecurity and violence in north-east Nigeria mean thousands of children are not being immunised. A strong routine immunisation program is required to sustain polio eradication, to improve immunisation coverage and to serve as a platform for improving child and maternal health.

In Pakistan, another country that suffers the debilitating effects of endemic polio, the national and local government leaders are fully invested in overcoming vaccination bans and fears that fuel an increase in polio cases. For example, Peshawar's local government initiated the Sehat Ka Insaf, Justice for Health campaign. It is delivering nine child health interventions, including polio vaccine. A similar approach is being taken in areas of Karachi that are difficult to access. National Islamic leaders have issued 28 fatwas promoting the safety of the polio vaccine and the importance of vaccinating children. In the context of the progress that has been made, it is sobering to reflect on the fact that the World Health Organization has officially declared the international spread of wild poliovirus in 2014 as a public health emergency of international concern.

To end polio and to realise the broad benefits eradication will bring, we still need unwavering political and financial commitment from across the global community. We need immediate vaccination of children in north-east Waziristan, Pakistan, to stop the intense outbreak in that region; as well as in parts of Nigeria and in outbreak countries, particularly Syria and Somalia. We need polio-free countries to maintain high levels of routine immunisation to ensure that all children are being reached with the vaccines that they need.

As we approach the end of polio, let us remember that this achievement has wider implications. Not only does it demonstrate the life-changing impact of our aid dollars; it also demonstrations that the lessons, assets and infrastructure of the polio program could greatly enhance child survival efforts. In vaccinating children in some of the most remote, vulnerable and socially marginalised communities, the polio program has created a blueprint for reaching every child with critical lifesaving interventions. If partner agencies and donor governments seize on this opportunity, we can dramatically reduce child deaths even further, accelerating progress and reaching the fourth millennium development goal.

Finally, as we get to the brink of an incredible world achievement, the end of polio, I want to pay tribute to the committed partnerships of teams such as Rotary, UNICEF, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization and the Global Poverty Project.

Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Alan Griffin (Bruce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Mark Coulton (Parkes, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the member for Fremantle for bringing this motion into the House and having such an important issue debated in this place. I would also like to acknowledge the fact that the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, at the Rotary conference in Sydney a couple of weeks ago, committed Australia to another $100 million over five years towards the eradication of polio. Hopefully, in another five years' time we may see what was considered an unachievable aim—or certainly a very adventurous aim when Sir Clem Renouf started on his campaign—being realised.

I am a patron of Polio Australia. So I am very pleased to be here today. Maybe towards the end of my comments I might make some mention about what is happening in Australia with polio. I would also like to acknowledge the work that is done by Michael Sheldrick. I first met him probably 18 months ago. He is a very passionate campaigner for polio. Through Michael Sheldrick, I met the 2013 Young Australian of the Year, Akram Azimi. Last year, Akram spent three days in my electorate. We visited about six schools and I think about the same number of Rotary meetings, where Akram told his story about polio. It was very important, because Rotary has played such a pivotal role in this, for Rotarians to speak with Akram about his experiences. But also I wanted the school students to meet Akram as someone who is a refugee from Afghanistan and to understand that quite often the things that are debated in the media in black and white are not so black and white when you get to meet someone like Akram Azimi.

Akram was carried out of Afghanistan as a young child. Akram, his brother and his parents spent seven years in a refugee camp in Pakistan. While he was in Pakistan he witnessed children begging in the streets—children who were horribly deformed from the effects of polio. He clearly remembers attending a clinic with his mother and having the drops of vaccine placed on his tongue and not fully understanding at the time the significance of that. He realises in hindsight that it was probably those two drops of vaccine that, if not saved his life, certainly altered the course of his life. If it were not for the will of his mother and the vaccine that was made available from organisations around the country—possibly even Rotary—he may have suffered the same fate as those children he saw around him and been committed to a life of begging in the streets. Upon his settlement in Australia and then ultimately upon adulthood, Akram became a member of Rotary—I think he might even be a Paul Harris Fellow in Rotary—and continues that message about the importance of doing this last bit.

The member for Fremantle mentioned the three major countries that are still to go. These are break-out countries, where polio is still going around. It highlights the fact that in Australia, because we do have people coming and going to this country, we must maintain our vigilance in vaccinating our own children. One of the things I can remember is, as a boy at Warialda public school, lining up with the entire school and having that vaccination——I can even remember the taste of it surprisingly enough—back in the mid-sixties when we had a nationwide campaign. I can also remember children at that school a little bit older than me who had suffered from polio. We are at the cusp, but we have got some way to go.

I would just like to finish by mentioning the work that is done by Polio Australia. It is a little bit off the topic but related somewhat. Many of the people who were youngsters in the forties, fifties and sixties and who may have had a slight touch of polio are, in their later stage of life, really being stung with the late onset effects of polio. We need to recognise that it is still a very important syndrome. People are suffering from it, and we need to raise the awareness that, while polio in Australia is eradicated, people are still suffering from its effects.

Alan Griffin (Bruce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Polio is a highly contagious viral infection that can lead to paralysis, breathing problems or even death. There is no cure for polio, only treatment to alleviate the symptoms. However, polio can be prevented through immunisation. Polio vaccine given multiple times almost always protects a child for life. Polio became one of the most dreaded childhood diseases of the 20th century. In the early 20th century much of the world experienced a dramatic increase in polio cases and epidemics became regular events, primarily in cities during the summer months. These epidemics, which left thousands of children and adults paralysed, provided the impetus for a great race towards the development of a vaccine. Developed in the fifties, polio vaccines have reduced the global number of polio cases per year from many hundreds of thousands to under 1,000 today. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative means to bring this figure down to zero. Many in this chamber are old enough to remember the scourge of polio in our own country. We remember the images of children with calipers and crutches, or maybe we read I Can Jump Puddles by Alan Marshall or heard about polio sufferers needing an iron lung to help them breathe. We also remember the easiest immunisation we ever had to experience: the Sabin oral polio vaccine.

Sadly, there are some children in the world who cannot access this simple vaccination against polio. Today, some children will contract polio simply because they are poor. They live in developing nations with no access to basic health care such as immunisation and the vaccine against polio in particular. In 1988 the World Health Assembly passed a resolution to eradicate polio, launching the GPEI. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a public-private partnership led by national governments and spearheaded by the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United Nations Children's Fund. Its goal is to eradicate polio worldwide.

Since 1998 more than 2.5 billion children have been immunised against polio, thanks to the unprecedented cooperation of more than 200 countries and 20 million volunteers, backed by an international investment of over US$8 billion.

Since its launch in 1988 the GPIE has reduced the global incidence of polio by more than 99 per cent and the number of countries with endemic polio, from 125 to 3. More than 10 million people are walking today who otherwise would have been paralysed. By 2006 only four countries remained that had never stopped polio transmission and annual case numbers had decreased by over 99 per cent. In January this year India passed three years without reporting a single case of polio, an achievement which led to the South-East Asia region of the World Health Organization being declared polio free on 27 March this year.

With this certification, the proportion of the world's people living polio free increased from 52 per cent to nearly 80 per cent. The WHO has estimated that, with continued support from the global community, the world can be free of polio by 2018. However, polio remains endemic in three countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. Until polio virus transmission is interrupted in these countries, all countries remain at risk of the importation of polio, especially in the polio virus importation belt of countries, from West Africa to the Horn of Africa. Worryingly, cases have also appeared in previously polio-free countries, including Somalia, Syria and Cameroon. That is why it is important to continue funding this important initiative and also to commit to the next step in the eradication of polio.

On 26 May 2012, the World Health Assembly declared ending polio 'a programmatic emergency for global public health'. Noting India's success, using available tools and technology, the threat to the global community of ongoing polio virus transmission in the remaining three endemic countries—as I mentioned, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan—the WHA called on the WHO director-general to develop and finalise a comprehensive polio end game strategy.

I commend the government for reaffirming Australia's support for the GPIE initiative by maintaining the $15 million commitment for 2013-14. However, I also call on the government to continue to support polio eradication by reaffirming Australia's commitment to provide $80 million over four years, from 2015 to 2018. This is aid that works.

Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

More than 100 years have passed since the first polio epidemic of 1894 and we are still working to fight the disease. Although 2002 saw the eradication of the illness in Europe, 10 years later, in 2012, five countries still remained affected by the virus including Afghanistan, Chad, Nigeria, Pakistan and Niger. The world is still left with more than 200 cases of polio remaining. Polio is an incurable virus that can infect a person of any age. With less built-up immune systems, children are however more susceptible to the illness and make up roughly 50 per cent of polio victims. Treatment for polio bears great difficulties, as 95 per cent of polio cases show no symptoms, with only a small number of sufferers experiencing fevers, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain or diarrhoea. Despite its lack of obvious symptoms upon onset, polio is an incredibly life-affecting virus, often leading to paralysis and circulatory distress. As science is yet to equip doctors with a cure for polio, the best prevention for the virus is by way of vaccination. Until each and every child has been vaccinated, the polio virus will continue to be alive and will affect the minds and bodies of its innocent and undeserving victims.

The World Health Organization, its initiative partners and the GAVI Alliance have all initiated a joint program of work to ensure polio eradication infrastructure, systematically contributing to the improvement of routine immunisation coverage.

This motion calls on the government to continue to support polio eradication by reaffirming Australia's commitment to provide $80 million over four years, from 2015 to 2018, to the initiative. Such work undertaken by the WHO has inspired the Australian government to go beyond the $80 million requested, from 2015 to 2018, and instead contribute to funding the polio program to the sum of $100 million over five years. This commitment will strengthen health systems to deliver routine immunisation and will improve a country's capacity to control all communicable diseases including polio.

The federal government realises the extent to which this virus damages those affected and pledges to do all it can to assist to eradicate the virus. The financial contribution will be used by the World Health Organization not only in their research efforts but also by providing routine vaccination to countries affected. The Australian government have high hopes that our contribution will greatly assist the WHO efforts as, after its implementation in 2013, the initiative saw all cases of poliomyelitis caused by a wild virus to be due to a single zero type, type 1, seeing death to polio caused by type 2 or 3.

Although substantial advancements have been made in the efforts to virus eradication, health systems have been weakened by factors such as conflict and of failing to deliver routine immunisation exposing unimmunised children to the virus. The World Health Organization has declared polio a public health emergency of international concern. The Australian government is therefore responding promptly and effectively as possible, working alongside the WHO and Rotary International to further the proud history of support for polio eradication shown by the Australian government. Rotary International's involvement in the polio eradication campaign began when Australia played a crucial role in the efforts to eradicate smallpox, with the efforts of Australia's Frank Fenner, a world leader in that campaign, which in turn inspired another Australian, Sir Clem Renouf, then president of Rotary International, to cooperate with another rotarian, Dr John Sever, Head of Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Health in Washington DC. They teamed up to attack polio. At the time, the polio virus was crippling 1,000 people per day, but immunisation could be achieved by just two drops of the vaccine at a cost of just 10c each. Sir Clem's initial effort in 1979 saw more than six million children vaccinated in the Philippines. Since then the world has made tremendous progress and Rotary's efforts have been crucial to this success. If you visit the polio eradication website, you will see there is an interactive world map showing the progress of the polio eradication campaign from the 1980s until now.

It is encouraging to see how much progress has been made. According to Rotary International, 99 per cent of the world is polio free. However, the fight is far from over and we need to finish the job. The $100 million announced by foreign minister, Julie Bishop, is a vital step in ensuring that polio eradication remains high on the world agenda and leads to the eventual total global eradication of the polio virus.

Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Sitting suspended from 13:01 to 16:00

Proceedings suspended from 13 : 30 to 16 : 00