The NT leader says vaccine uptake is ‘the responsibility of the individual’ as diphtheria numbers climb.
The Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA) is calling for public health messaging that strengthens trust with the community and avoids pointing the finger in the wake of Australia’s largest recorded diphtheria outbreak.
At time of writing, more than 230 cases of diphtheria have been recorded in Australia this year. Around 60% of those are in the Northern Territory.
There has been one possible diphtheria-related death, also in the Northern Territory.
Around 95% of the cases have been recorded in remote Aboriginal communities, according to the ABC.
Speaking to ABC Radio earlier this week, NT chief minister Lia Finocchiaro defended the accessibility of care in the top end.
“At the end of the day, remote communities have clinics, we have major health facilities in all the towns and all the regions, so opportunity for vaccination is there,” she said.
“Whether or not people take it up is a whole other story, and that’s the responsibility of the individual.”
In contrast, AIDA CEO Dr Peter Malouf urged authorities to treat the outbreak as both a clinical issue and an equity issue.
“This outbreak is occurring in the context of known gaps in access to primary care, immunisation follow-up, housing, wound care, health infrastructure and culturally safe services in remote and regional communities,” Dr Malouf said.
“Public messaging must avoid blame.
“The correct response is to strengthen access, trust and continuity of care. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities must be partners in the response, not merely recipients of centrally designed interventions.”
Related
The federal government has since announced a $7.2 million package aimed at curbing the outbreak.
Most of the cash – around $5.2 million – will go to the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre to provide a surge vaccination workforce.
The rest will be an investment into “culturally safe communications” with through Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory.
Both AIDA and the NT government have welcomed the federal funding boost.
When asked if the chief minister stood by her previous comments regarding individual responsibility, in light of the AIDA statement calling for collaboration with the community, her office forwarded this statement from health minister Steve Edgington’s office.
Comments on this article have been closed.
