Papua New Guinea: migrant health guide
Advice and guidance on the health needs of migrant patients from Papua New Guinea for healthcare practitioners.
Main messages
If the patient is new to the UK:
- explain to them how the NHS works
- discuss how this compares to the healthcare system they’ve been used to
Ensure that all patients are up-to-date with the UK immunisation schedule.
Screen all new entrants, including children, for tuberculosis (TB).
Consider screening for hepatitis B, particularly among those who have recently arrived. Papua New Guinea has a high prevalence.
Be alert for signs and symptoms of polio, and ensure vaccination as required, because polio (cVDPV1) has recently been reported in Papua New Guinea.
Ask opportunistically about any travel plans the patient may have to visit friends and relatives in their country of origin, and see National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC), or the Health Protection Scotland websites (TRAVAX and fitfortravel), for travel advice.
There is a high risk of malaria in some areas of Papua New Guinea.
There is a high risk of typhoid infection in Papua New Guinea.
Consider nutritional and metabolic concerns.
Infectious diseases
Immunisation
Ensure that all patients, especially children, are up-to-date with the UK immunisation schedule. See Immunisation collection with complete schedules.
Tuberculosis
There is a high incidence of TB in Papua New Guinea (40 to 499 cases per 100,000), so:
- screen all new entrants (including children) for TB according to NICE guidelines
- refer to TB services promptly if screening is positive
- maintain long term vigilance for symptoms of TB even if initial screening is negative
- be aware that TB is a notifiable disease
Sexually transmitted infections and HIV
Take a sexual history, and:
- screen for STIs and HIV according to risk as specified in the UK national standards and guidelines
- test all sexually active patients under the age of 25 for chlamydia
Papua New Guinea has a low rate of HIV (≤1%), so:
- offer and recommend an HIV test if the patient:
- falls into a high risk group
- is newly registering in a high prevalence area
- be advised that national guidelines do not recommend routine consideration of HIV testing of infants and children who have recently arrived in the UK
Hepatitis B
Papua New Guinea has a high prevalence of hepatitis B, so:
- consider screening for hepatitis B, particularly those who have recently arrived
- offer screening for hepatitis B to all pregnant women during each pregnancy
- immunise appropriately babies born to mothers who are hepatitis B positive, and follow-up accordingly
- be aware that the UK has a universal infant immunisation programme for hepatitis B and a selective immunisation programme for higher risk groups
Hepatitis C
Papua New Guinea has a higher prevalence of hepatitis C than the UK, so consider screening for hepatitis C if other risk factors apply.
Polio
Polio (cVDPV1) has been reported in Papua New Guinea, so:
- be alert for signs and symptoms of polio in anyone arriving from Papua New Guinea, and investigate as appropriate
- ensure all new entrants are brought up to date with the UK immunisation schedule, including polio vaccine as required
- see NaTHNaC for advice about polio vaccine requirements if patients are planning to travel back to Papua New Guinea, as specific advice is in place for long-term visitors (over 4 weeks) to Papua New Guinea
Travel plans and advice
Ask opportunistically about any travel plans the patient may have to visit friends and relatives in their country of origin, and see National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC), or the Health Protection Scotland websites (TRAVAX and fitfortravel), for travel advice.
Malaria
There is a high risk of malaria in some areas of Papua New Guinea, due to P. falciparum and P. vivax., so:
- test any unwell patient who has travelled to-and-from affected areas of Papua New Guinea in the last year
- remember that malaria can be rapidly fatal
Typhoid
There is a high risk of typhoid infection in Papua New Guinea, so:
- ensure that travellers to Papua New Guinea are offered typhoid immunisation and advice on prevention of enteric fever
- remember enteric fever in the differential diagnosis of illness in patients with a recent history of travel to-or-from Papua New Guinea
Helminths
There is a risk of helminth infections in Papua New Guinea, including soil transmitted helminthiasis.
Women’s health
Reproductive health indicators
| Reproductive health indicator | UK | Papua New Guinea |
|---|---|---|
| Number of children per woman¹ | 2 | 4 |
| Breast examination or mammography³ | 75% | 1% |
¹lifetime average; ²women aged 50 to 69 years
No data are available on:
- number of children per woman
- cervical cancer screening rates
Nutritional and metabolic concerns
Anaemia
There is a moderate risk of anaemia in adults (estimated prevalence in non-pregnant women is 20 to 40%) and a high risk in pre-school children (estimated prevalence is >40%), so:
- be alert to the possibility of anaemia in recently arrived migrants, particularly women and pre-school children
- test as clinically indicated
Vitamin D
Consider the possibility of vitamin D deficiency in people who may be at risk due to:
- covering their body for cultural or religious reasons (lack of sunlight)
- skin colour
- diet (vegan or vegetarian)
Vitamin A
There is a risk of vitamin A deficiency in Papua New Guinea.
Country profile
Health indicators and health care
WHO Global Health Observatory has a summary of health indicators and health care in Papua New Guinea.
Culture, politics and history
BBC News and The World Factbook provide background information on the culture, politics and history of Papua New Guinea.
Languages
The main languages used in Papua New Guinea are:
- Tok Pisin (official)
- English (official)
- Hiri Motu (official)
- some 836 indigenous languages (about 12% of the world’s total); most have fewer than 1,000 speakers
Source: The World Factbook
Religions
| Religion | Population (%) |
|---|---|
| Roman Catholic | 27 |
| Protestant¹ | 69.4 |
| Baha’i | 0.3 |
| Indigenous beliefs and other | 3.3 |
¹includes Evangelical Lutheran 19.5%, United Church 11.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, Pentecostal 8.6%, Evangelical Alliance 5.2%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.5%, other Protestant 8.9%
Source: The World Factbook
Migration to the UK
There were over 1,000 people from Papua New Guinea living in England and Wales at the time of the 2011 Census.
Source: Office for National Statistics
Updates to this page
Published 31 July 2014Last updated 24 May 2019 + show all updates
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Updated polio guidance.
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First published.