‘We have to work as a nation’: Indigenous minister…

Indigenous ministers have called on Australians to get vaccinated amid the country’s largest diphtheria outbreak on record and growing concerns about its spread through remote Indigenous communities.

On Friday, Indigenous ministers from across Australia gathered in Western Sydney for a joint council meeting to discuss the next steps in the national agreement on closing disparities.

A key point of discussion was the worsening diphtheria epidemic affecting parts of the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland and northern South Australia, as governments face increasing pressure on preparedness and access to health care in remote areas.

Australia has recorded 230 cases of diphtheria this year, the largest outbreak since national records began. The majority of cases have occurred among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, according to the Australian Center for Disease Control.

“What we are seeing with respect to the peaks in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, parts of Queensland and South Australia is of national concern,” Australian Indigenous Affairs Minister Marandiri McCarthy said on Friday.

“Not only is it important to communicate with Indigenous families, but this is something the entire country recognizes.”

The comments came after Federal Health Minister Mark Butler announced on Thursday a $7 million response package aimed at supporting the Northern Territory Government and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Unit to provide vaccines and culturally safe local support.

“I went to get the booster shot to make sure it’s not just about the kids, we as adults have a responsibility too. This is important for Australians to remember, the more vaccinations the better,” Senator McCarthy said.

“I urge Australians around the world to get vaccinated.”

Delegates also questioned Northern Territory Health Minister Steve Edgington about the Northern Territory Government’s response to the diphtheria outbreak, citing response times and preparedness in remote areas.

Responding to claims that the Northern Territory government did not request assistance from the federal government until weeks after the public health alert was issued in April, Mr Edgington said health authorities and Aboriginal community-controlled organizations were working closely together on the ground.

“Well, we’re working very closely with the Aboriginal community-controlled sector in the Northern Territory and we’re also consulting with the federal government,” he said.

“We are working very closely together, issuing communication materials and working with the main hospitals as well as remote clinics.”

Mr Edgington rejected suggestions that the Northern Territory government had failed to communicate effectively with residents and reiterated efforts to contain the outbreak through public awareness and vaccine distribution.

“We are working fully collaboratively through NT Health, our Aboriginal community-controlled sector, and this is important to get the message across the Northern Territory,” he said.

“We have set up pop-up clinics in Alice Springs, Darwin, Palmerston and Katherine, and these clinics in woodland areas are doing everything they can to work with local communities to identify clinics that need not only the vaccine but also boosters.”

Learn more about diphtheria available online.

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