Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Because, as I mentioned a few moments ago, we know
that the Federal Health Minister Mark Butler says that he
is incredibly concerned as one of Australia's worst dip theory
or outbreaks in decades spreads beyond the Northern Territory into
Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland. So as I understand it,
as of today more than one hundred and fifty cases
(00:20):
now recorded in the Northern Territory. Now, doctor John Boffer,
he is the chief medical Officer at Public Health at
Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, joins me on the line. Good
morning to you, doctor.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Boffer, Good morning Cay, Thanks so much.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
For your time this morning. Now, doctor Boffer, we're hearing
that this is well potentially Australia's biggest dip theory or
outbreak in decades. How concern should territorians be right now
and talk us through the situation in Central Australia.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Well, look, I think the major issue to make clear
is that ninety five percent of the cases amongst the
Abriginal people, So the major concern is with the average
communities across the Norman churchy. But having said that, whenever
you get a community disease outbreak like this, what we
call herd immunity or massiminity manners. So the more we
get everyone vaccinated, the more chance we've got of getting
(01:14):
on top of this outbreak. So everyone needs to take
it seriously, especially Aboriginal people in remote communities, but the
whole population of the Northern Churchy needs to step up
and check their vaccination status and get boosted.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Doctor Boffer like, what does zip theoria look like? You know,
what are the signs and symptoms and what are you
seeing in Central Australia and those that have presented.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Well look in terms of what dippia looks like, most
health professionals these days would have no ideas because it's
been generations since we've seen it. So but what it
does look like now is in two forms skin saws.
The skin saws can look like any other skin saws,
which is why people are very used to having skin saws.
(01:58):
And at this stage any skin saw that people need
to go to their clinic because we need to swab
that skin score, which means you need to take a
sample from it. That's not something we normally do with
skin slaws. We need to do it now. And again,
if people have a source throat, any source throat really
at this stage, particularly in remote average on communities, then
(02:19):
you go to the clinic because we need to take
a swab from the throat. Now. Again, we don't normally
swap throats, but we are now because that's the only
way to tell whether it's dipteria. There are many causes
of source throats and there still are many causes. Sometimes
it'll be dippedia, and so the only way we're going
to know is by doing swabs.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
And John, what has the response been from you guys
from the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress. I would imagine you've
been very busy over recent weeks and you know, taking
or doing a lot of those swabs and doing what
you can to try to help people.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, no, we have been, and it's a lot of
extra work for prim healthcare staff to be doing swabs.
Sometimes you have to use PP and we've got to
do as much vaccination as we can, both opportunistically in
our clinics and throughoutreach. And we've been out reaching into
the town camps. You know, we've done Hidden Vallet, We've
done in the Valet We've done counter and we've done
(03:14):
a number of camps, and we're doing Childs Creek I
understand today. So we're going around without reach to the
town camps already and really trying to target the most
songable people in the community. First, we've got to vaccinate everyone,
and we won't get on top of this till everyone
is firsted, but we want to start with the most
high risk people.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And doctor Boffer, what's the go in terms of the
response from the Northern Territory and the federal government. I
thought that they'd announced it they were well, certainly the
Health Minister had said to us yesterday on the show
that he was he was in contact with the federal
government to look at how they could roll those vaccinations
out more quickly and get more vaccines into all the
communities right across the Northern Territory. From your perspective, where
(03:56):
are things at, Well.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
We have this really good announcement today just this morning
of a seven point two million dollar package from the
federal government which includes five point two million to the
Critical Trauma Center in Darwin, which will enable the deployment
of a surge workforce, which is what we've wanted right
from the very beginning. We need extra staff both to
(04:18):
do the immanizing and important me to do the contact tracing.
It's really important. If people have been exposed, they need
they need to be boosted, but they also need to
take antibiotics. And we've got to make sure we're doing
both immanizing and using antibiotics when people have been exposed
and when people actually have respiritual or cutaneous exterior.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Now tell me, doctor Boffer. I mean, we know that
Territorians by very nature, indigenous and non indigenous. We all
you know, we all like to travel around a lot.
How big a concern is that, you know, the very
transient nature that Territorians live by.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Oh look, I think that's obviously one of the issues
that's helped to spread this disease quite quickly across the
Northern Territory. The mobility is a signemicant factor along with
overcrowding and other things that make you know, this this
outbreak what it is in terms of how quickly it's spread.
As I said, we're over one hundred and fifty cases now.
(05:15):
So I think that for people who are regularly traveling
out to make all essential workers and people who travel
out to remote community in particular absolutely need to be
boosted before they go. They need to check their humanization
status and make sure they're up to date with the
Deyteria booster. That's every five years for average on people
and the essential workers, and every ten years so the
(05:38):
rest of the non average on population of the Northern Territory.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Doctor Boffer, I know that you've been reported as saying, well,
certainly there's been a reported dip theory of related depth.
It's still under investigation, is my understanding of it. But
you've argued that that information needs to be shed quickly.
Why is that speed of communication so.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Important because we've been in this situation since that death
four weeks ago where we're trying to get to convince
people to get boosted, to get vaccinated. Now. I think
we saw during COVID that as people saw this hitting
home in the northern Churchy once they saw people starting
to get COVID and Catherine in that region, and unfortunately
(06:17):
when they saw the first deaths amongst the original people,
that had a big impact, as you expected would same
with during the non original population. I remember in Sydney
they couldn't get people to roll out their arms to
get the COVID vaccin until they had their first outbreaks
and their first death. So this matters in terms of
we've wont the community to engage. We've also got to
be honest and open and sharing the information we've got.
(06:40):
And in public health we share information when we're not
one hundred percent certain. We use what's called confident the symbols.
Sometimes we're ninety five percent certain something's very likely who've
been the case, but there's a small chance it's not.
So I think it's important that we share that information.
We've again seen with Mary Velli and kephalitis. When the
media report finally came out yesterday the day before, turns
(07:02):
out the first step happened in April. Now that the
community of Well Springs I think had a right to
know from April. They should have been taking precautions against
mosquitoes before the second death occurred, which was in May.
So that information is taking too long, I think to
get out to the general public.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Doctor Boffer, what is your message for all Territorians this morning,
particularly as somebody who has been dealing with DIP THEORYA
in Central Australia and the impacts.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Oh, look, I think the message is really simple. The
way we're going to get out of this outbreak is
through vaccination. So everyone needs to be boosted. They need
to be up to date with the dip theor containing vaccination,
which is called boosters. It's a triple vaccination. So for
people who are capable, they should go on to my
GAV or my medicare and check their vaccination status and
(07:51):
see when they last had the dip theory containing vaccination
and if their original people or essential workers in it's
more than five years, to their local clinic of they'll
be pop up vaccination clinics. Now we've got extra resources,
get bursted. If they're not averaginal people and it's more
than ten years, go and get bursted. That's the first thing.
The second thing is if people are unfortunate enough to
(08:13):
come into contact with active cases, then they're actually contacts.
They need to take antibiotics along with the cases themselves,
and they'll get a booster if it's been more than
one year since they last were vaccinated. So they're the
two key things that the main thing though, is to
get boosted, get boosted, get boosted. That's going to get
us out of this outbreak.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Doctor John Boffer I always appreciate your time, mate, thank
you so very much for joining us this morning.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Thanks Caddy, thank you.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Thanks so much. That's doctor John Boffer there. He is
indeed from the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress. He's the Chief
Medical Officer of Public Health and
Because, as I mentioned a few moments ago, we know
that the Federal Health Minister Mark Butler says that he
is incredibly concerned as one of Australia's worst dip theory
or outbreaks in decades spreads beyond the Northern Territory into
Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland. So as I understand it,
as of today more than one hundred and fifty cases
(00:20):
now recorded in the Northern Territory. Now, doctor John Boffer,
he is the chief medical Officer at Public Health at
Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, joins me on the line. Good
morning to you, doctor.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Boffer, Good morning Cay, Thanks so much.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
For your time this morning. Now, doctor Boffer, we're hearing
that this is well potentially Australia's biggest dip theory or
outbreak in decades. How concern should territorians be right now
and talk us through the situation in Central Australia.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Well, look, I think the major issue to make clear
is that ninety five percent of the cases amongst the
Abriginal people, So the major concern is with the average
communities across the Norman churchy. But having said that, whenever
you get a community disease outbreak like this, what we
call herd immunity or massiminity manners. So the more we
get everyone vaccinated, the more chance we've got of getting
(01:14):
on top of this outbreak. So everyone needs to take
it seriously, especially Aboriginal people in remote communities, but the
whole population of the Northern Churchy needs to step up
and check their vaccination status and get boosted.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Doctor Boffer like, what does zip theoria look like? You know,
what are the signs and symptoms and what are you
seeing in Central Australia and those that have presented.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Well look in terms of what dippia looks like, most
health professionals these days would have no ideas because it's
been generations since we've seen it. So but what it
does look like now is in two forms skin saws.
The skin saws can look like any other skin saws,
which is why people are very used to having skin saws.
(01:58):
And at this stage any skin saw that people need
to go to their clinic because we need to swab
that skin score, which means you need to take a
sample from it. That's not something we normally do with
skin slaws. We need to do it now. And again,
if people have a source throat, any source throat really
at this stage, particularly in remote average on communities, then
(02:19):
you go to the clinic because we need to take
a swab from the throat. Now. Again, we don't normally
swap throats, but we are now because that's the only
way to tell whether it's dipteria. There are many causes
of source throats and there still are many causes. Sometimes
it'll be dippedia, and so the only way we're going
to know is by doing swabs.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
And John, what has the response been from you guys
from the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress. I would imagine you've
been very busy over recent weeks and you know, taking
or doing a lot of those swabs and doing what
you can to try to help people.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Yeah, no, we have been, and it's a lot of
extra work for prim healthcare staff to be doing swabs.
Sometimes you have to use PP and we've got to
do as much vaccination as we can, both opportunistically in
our clinics and throughoutreach. And we've been out reaching into
the town camps. You know, we've done Hidden Vallet, We've
done in the Valet We've done counter and we've done
(03:14):
a number of camps, and we're doing Childs Creek I
understand today. So we're going around without reach to the
town camps already and really trying to target the most
songable people in the community. First, we've got to vaccinate everyone,
and we won't get on top of this till everyone
is firsted, but we want to start with the most
high risk people.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And doctor Boffer, what's the go in terms of the
response from the Northern Territory and the federal government. I
thought that they'd announced it they were well, certainly the
Health Minister had said to us yesterday on the show
that he was he was in contact with the federal
government to look at how they could roll those vaccinations
out more quickly and get more vaccines into all the
communities right across the Northern Territory. From your perspective, where
(03:56):
are things at, Well.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
We have this really good announcement today just this morning
of a seven point two million dollar package from the
federal government which includes five point two million to the
Critical Trauma Center in Darwin, which will enable the deployment
of a surge workforce, which is what we've wanted right
from the very beginning. We need extra staff both to
(04:18):
do the immanizing and important me to do the contact tracing.
It's really important. If people have been exposed, they need
they need to be boosted, but they also need to
take antibiotics. And we've got to make sure we're doing
both immanizing and using antibiotics when people have been exposed
and when people actually have respiritual or cutaneous exterior.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Now tell me, doctor Boffer. I mean, we know that
Territorians by very nature, indigenous and non indigenous. We all
you know, we all like to travel around a lot.
How big a concern is that, you know, the very
transient nature that Territorians live by.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Oh look, I think that's obviously one of the issues
that's helped to spread this disease quite quickly across the
Northern Territory. The mobility is a signemicant factor along with
overcrowding and other things that make you know, this this
outbreak what it is in terms of how quickly it's spread.
As I said, we're over one hundred and fifty cases now.
(05:15):
So I think that for people who are regularly traveling
out to make all essential workers and people who travel
out to remote community in particular absolutely need to be
boosted before they go. They need to check their humanization
status and make sure they're up to date with the
Deyteria booster. That's every five years for average on people
and the essential workers, and every ten years so the
(05:38):
rest of the non average on population of the Northern Territory.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Doctor Boffer, I know that you've been reported as saying, well,
certainly there's been a reported dip theory of related depth.
It's still under investigation, is my understanding of it. But
you've argued that that information needs to be shed quickly.
Why is that speed of communication so.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Important because we've been in this situation since that death
four weeks ago where we're trying to get to convince
people to get boosted, to get vaccinated. Now. I think
we saw during COVID that as people saw this hitting
home in the northern Churchy once they saw people starting
to get COVID and Catherine in that region, and unfortunately
(06:17):
when they saw the first deaths amongst the original people,
that had a big impact, as you expected would same
with during the non original population. I remember in Sydney
they couldn't get people to roll out their arms to
get the COVID vaccin until they had their first outbreaks
and their first death. So this matters in terms of
we've wont the community to engage. We've also got to
be honest and open and sharing the information we've got.
(06:40):
And in public health we share information when we're not
one hundred percent certain. We use what's called confident the symbols.
Sometimes we're ninety five percent certain something's very likely who've
been the case, but there's a small chance it's not.
So I think it's important that we share that information.
We've again seen with Mary Velli and kephalitis. When the
media report finally came out yesterday the day before, turns
(07:02):
out the first step happened in April. Now that the
community of Well Springs I think had a right to
know from April. They should have been taking precautions against
mosquitoes before the second death occurred, which was in May.
So that information is taking too long, I think to
get out to the general public.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Doctor Boffer, what is your message for all Territorians this morning,
particularly as somebody who has been dealing with DIP THEORYA
in Central Australia and the impacts.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Oh, look, I think the message is really simple. The
way we're going to get out of this outbreak is
through vaccination. So everyone needs to be boosted. They need
to be up to date with the dip theor containing vaccination,
which is called boosters. It's a triple vaccination. So for
people who are capable, they should go on to my
GAV or my medicare and check their vaccination status and
(07:51):
see when they last had the dip theory containing vaccination
and if their original people or essential workers in it's
more than five years, to their local clinic of they'll
be pop up vaccination clinics. Now we've got extra resources,
get bursted. If they're not averaginal people and it's more
than ten years, go and get bursted. That's the first thing.
The second thing is if people are unfortunate enough to
(08:13):
come into contact with active cases, then they're actually contacts.
They need to take antibiotics along with the cases themselves,
and they'll get a booster if it's been more than
one year since they last were vaccinated. So they're the
two key things that the main thing though, is to
get boosted, get boosted, get boosted. That's going to get
us out of this outbreak.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Doctor John Boffer I always appreciate your time, mate, thank
you so very much for joining us this morning.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Thanks Caddy, thank you.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Thanks so much. That's doctor John Boffer there. He is
indeed from the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress. He's the Chief
Medical Officer of Public Health and
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