00:02The Federal Government has injected $7.2 million worth of funding into combating the spread of diphtheria across North and
00:08Central Australia.
00:10Now, most of that money is going to go to the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre, who will
00:14be responsible for administering the vaccines,
00:17as well as providing surge workforce numbers to the regions where the vaccinations are most needed.
00:21$2 million of that $7 million, however, will go to Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations.
00:26Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said that most of that money will go behind the Northern Territory Government's efforts,
00:32given that 155 cases of diphtheria have been identified in the jurisdiction as of this morning.
00:37However, he said he'll also be in contact with the governments of Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland
00:42to ensure that they are also adequately equipped to deal with this outbreak.
00:46He says that he'll also be meeting with the Chief Health Officers of all those respective jurisdictions in the coming
00:50days,
00:51but has expressed his full confidence in the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre to deal with the outbreak.
00:57The latest request over the last several days has been for a surge workforce.
01:02There are sufficient doses of vaccines, I'm told, in the Territory,
01:06but the need for additional workers to get out and get the needles into the arms that need them.
01:12So we've provided that additional funding.
01:15Meanwhile, questions have grown about just how this outbreak got so large in the first place.
01:19Speaking to 7.30 last night, the Northern Territory's Chief Health Officer, Dr. Paul Burgess,
01:24said that the outbreak likely stemmed from a case identified in the Northern Territory late last year.
01:29On March 25th this year, a public health alert was issued in the Northern Territory following four cases.
01:34Federal Health Minister Mark Butler says it wasn't until late April,
01:37when the Northern Territory Government requested assistance from the Federal Government to combat the spread of the disease.
01:45The London Territory is a significant region.
01:45operated in emulate and created by the Lord.
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