A Pacific disease surveillance update has changed Papua New Guinea’s measles alert from red to blue. The latest week covered by the country’s health bulletin also recorded fewer reports of acute fever and rash.
The Pacific Community’s update, dated 10 November, draws on information supplied by Papua New Guinea’s National Department of Health. The figures cover the week from 26 October to 1 November, not the week in which the update was published.
The bulletin recorded 11 acute fever and rash cases nationwide during that week, compared with a revised 31 in the previous week. These are reports of a combination of symptoms, not a count of confirmed measles infections. Fever and rash can have other causes, and investigation is needed to establish a diagnosis.
The regional update says the country’s measles alert has changed from red to blue. It does not state precisely when the decision was made or that the outbreak has ended. The preceding regional update, dated 3 November, still showed a red alert for Papua New Guinea.
What the figures show
After an expert review, two measles cases had been confirmed in Papua New Guinea for 2026, according to the latest update: one in New Ireland and one in Western Highlands. Two rubella cases had also been confirmed. The same confirmed-case figures were already included in the previous week’s regional report.
Across the year to date, the bulletin recorded 464 acute fever and rash cases and 406 samples tested. It also listed 19 measles IgM-positive results. Those measures describe different stages of surveillance: the wider symptom count, tests and positive results should not be presented as the number of cases ultimately confirmed after expert review.
The latest reported onset among the IgM-positive measles results was 15 September, while the latest rubella onset was 29 September. Those dates relate to the information in the bulletin; they do not establish what has happened since the reporting period ended.
Figures can be revised as investigations progress. The earlier regional report gave the previous week’s fever-and-rash total as 26; the 10 November update revised it to 31. In October, the regional surveillance report also described the expert group recategorising some previously reported cases where there had been recent immunisation or the clinical presentation was incompatible.
Vaccination and surveillance
Papua New Guinea’s health department declared a measles outbreak on 7 July after laboratory-confirmed cases were reported in New Ireland and East Sepik. The latest update describes a measles and rubella vaccination campaign targeting children under seven in districts where a case has been detected.
The regional report does not give a campaign completion date or say how many children have received a vaccine. An earlier October update said the campaign was being delivered through routine immunisation opportunities. The change to the map’s alert colour should not be read as a statement that the vaccination effort has ended.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. Symptoms can include fever, cough, a runny nose and a rash. Serious complications can include pneumonia and inflammation of the brain. Vaccination helps prevent illness and transmission.
Rubella is a separate viral infection that can also cause fever and a rash. It is particularly concerning during pregnancy because infection can harm the developing baby. Combined measles and rubella vaccines offer protection against both diseases.
The Pacific surveillance network uses reports of symptom patterns as an early warning, allowing health teams to investigate possible outbreaks before every diagnosis is confirmed. Its regional maps bring together information from national health authorities, but the picture they provide is limited to the data available for each reporting period.
