Pandemics, climate shocks, unsafe food interconnected - WHO regional director

Dr Saia Ma'u Piukala speaking at the Fale Pasifika. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Grace Tinetali-Fiavaai

The World Health Organisation regional director for the Western Pacific, Dr Saia Ma'u Piukala, has told a medical conference in Papua New Guinea that it's a pivotal moment for the health of the region.

He told the 59th Annual Medical Symposium of the Medical Society of PNG that the world is shifting rapidly, "and so are the threats we face".

"Pandemics, climate shocks, unsafe food, antimicrobial resistance - these are not isolated issues. They are deeply interconnected, and they demand a united response."

The Pacific has been grappling with health crises in recent years, including Covid-19, measles, dengue fever and polio in Papua New Guinea.

Dr Piukala spoke of the importance of the 'one health' approach - a commitment to protect human, animal and environmental health together, as one.

"When a child falls ill from contaminated water, when a farmer loses livestock to disease, or when a virus jumps from animals to humans - we are reminded that our health systems are not separate silos," he said.

"They are threads in the same fabric."

Dr Piukala said in the last 30 years, 75 per cent of new infectious diseases have come from animals.

"In our region alone, zoonotic diseases claim over 2.5 million lives each year. And climate change and biodiversity losses are only intensifying these risks."

To respond properly, he said, people must embrace the truth of 'one world' and the need to act with 'one health'.

Piukala said this means coordinated action across agencies with people, animals and ecosystems at the heart of the health strategies.

He talked about how WHO was turning this vision into action.

"We have launched a bi-regional coordination mechanism with our colleagues in the South-East Asia regional office, aligning efforts under the one health joint plan of action.

"We've elevated 'one health' on political platforms, including our regional committee meetings, where member states have called for sustained momentum.

"Last month, we convened over 140 representatives from across the region to advance 'one health' priorities."

He said in the wider Pacific bold strides are being taken.

"Unsafe food sickens 125 million people annually in our region - 30 per cent of them are children under five. Through 'one health', we are working with Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and the Marshall Islands to tackle this head on.

"We are partnering with Vanuatu, Tonga and others to reduce zoonotic risks."

Papua New Guinea led the region in conducting risk-based workforce mapping - bringing together 50 experts from 16 sectors to identify 16 high-priority threats, he said.

"We must move beyond fragmented donor support toward joint mechanisms that unite governments, partners and communities. That is how we build systems that are ready for today's challenges - and tomorrow's unknowns."