Three aid posts in Sumkar District, Madang have reported an increase of flulike symptoms among patients.
Deputy Director of Public Health in Madang, Karoi Kamac, says they also received reports of four deaths while three medical officers needed to be airlifted to Madang hospital.
Kamac, says three teams comprising 6 members were airlifted to the aid-posts.
The teams are there to carry out investigations and take test samplings. and return to Madang with the findings.
The three aid posts in Kumbu, Hinion, and Apasakul villages in Sumkar are only accessible by foot or by air.
Three teams were sent to carry out investigations to establish why there is an increase of the flulike symptoms.
The Rapid Response and surveillance team also collected samples to test for COVID19.
According to the Deputy Director of public health, they were yet to confirm if the signs in most of the patients occurred a month or a year ago.
The sampling only covers those who went to the respective aid-posts with severe acute respiratory infection.
The Rapid Response team however was not able to airlift the three medical officers who needed medivac to Madang hospital.
For now, the medical officers on the ground are treating patients symptomatically.
More samples were sent to the three aid-posts yesterday to allow medical officers to collect samples.
