Proactive Response to Cholera Outbreak

January 19, 2010

As news of the Cholera outbreak in Papua New Guinea spread, NCS Project Managers took immediate and proactive steps to ward off any on-site threat.

When news broke of a State of Emergency being implemented due to the outbreak in Wasa, Morobe Province, NCS acted immediately to ensure steps were taken to prevent any occurrence of the highly contagious disease.

An urgent memo was distributed to all sites at 8 am and within the hour news was received that water testing and reinforcement of hygiene standards and procedures were immediately actioned.

When Cholera was reported to have spread to Lae it caused some panic, particularly for staff and students of the University of Technology, one of NCS’s sites. In order to address this, an information forum was convened by the student body to inform and reassure that the issue was being taken care of with the utmost urgency.

NCS Project Manager, Allan Atava, was asked to present at the forum. “My role was to give assurance and guarantee that their meal at the mess was safe for consumption” Allan said. “I spoke about the systems we have in place in food management and the guidelines we follow in food and personal hygiene”. Three doctors also presenting spoke specifically about the disease, its symptoms and precautionary measures.

Over 1,000 people attended the forum. Marcus Gosling, NCS Executive Director, said “After initial talk of closing the University down, the outcome was very good. It was an important way to calm people down after a day of panic.”

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