The Managing Director of Papua New Guinea's National Fisheries Authority has called on Health authorities to address scare-mongering related to the cholera outbreak in the National Capital District.
Sylvester Pokajam says the NFA strongly suspects a recent build-up of dead fish floating in the sea off Port Moresby's Ela Beach is unused produce dumped in the sea by small-scale vendors unable to sell their fish.
A state of emergency remains in place in National Capital District for the cholera outbreak which has claimed at least seven lives.
Mr Pokajam says due to misinformation circulating about how cholera is spread, many locals are refusing to buy fish at the markets.
"It's just the scare-mongering that's going on now. I'm very disappointed with the Health authorities here. They should come out openly and tell people that the fish are safe. But they're not doing that at all. They're keeping quiet and that's why there's a scare going on here and people are no longer buying fish."
Sylvester Pokajam.
