Papua New Guinea’s business community is being called on to play a more active role in tackling tuberculosis (TB), as Businesses for Health (B4H) staged a high-impact public awareness installation in the capital, Port Moresby, to mark World TB Day on 24 March.
At the busy Konedobu roundabout, thousands of commuters were met with a striking visual message: “TB is airborne.” The installation, led by B4H’s TB & HIV Project and supported by major corporate partners, featured 2,100 helium-filled balloons symbolising both the scale of the country’s TB crisis and the airborne nature of the disease.
Papua New Guinea continues to face one of the highest TB burdens globally, with an estimated 70,000 new cases and 12,000 deaths recorded last year. The National Capital District accounts for the highest number of cases nationwide, underscoring the urgency for coordinated action, including stronger private sector involvement.
Project Director Dr Ann Clarke said the installation was designed to make an invisible threat visible to both the public and the business community.
“If what you cough up is not clear, it may be a sign of disease. Get tested early,” Dr Clarke said.
“We want the balloons to make an invisible risk visible to every commuter and passerby.”
The balloons, lifted by helium supplied by BOC Papua New Guinea, were coloured to reflect sputum diagnostic indicators—turning a typically celebratory symbol into a stark public health warning.
Businesses at the frontline of the response
The World TB Day activation also highlighted the critical role workplaces can play in early detection, awareness and stigma reduction.
B4H Workplace TB Coordinator Teresa Koratsi said businesses are uniquely positioned to influence behaviour and support national health goals.
“B4H supports workplaces in training staff to recognise TB symptoms, encourage early testing and treatment, and reduce stigma and fear associated with the disease,” she said.
“TB is not spread by dirty hands or cups—that is dysentery or typhoid. TB is airborne, which means anyone can breathe it in if someone with TB is coughing.”
Through workplace programmes, companies can directly contribute to reducing transmission by encouraging early testing and supporting affected employees throughout treatment.
Public engagement in the city’s economic hub
In addition to the balloon installation, B4H, with support from SP Brewery and Bank South Pacific (BSP), set up two information stations in high-traffic areas: beneath SP Brewery’s digital “END TB” signage and at the busy BSP market and taxi rank precinct.
These stations provided access to clinical experts from the National Capital District Provincial Health Authority (NCD PHA), alongside educational materials and interactive learning activities aimed at improving public understanding of TB.
The initiative demonstrated how strategic partnerships between businesses and public health agencies can amplify outreach across key economic zones of the city.
The campaign drew support from a wide cross-section of Papua New Guinea’s corporate sector, including BOC PNG, BSP, SP Brewery, BizPrint, G4S, Paradise Foods and others—highlighting a growing recognition that TB is not just a health issue, but also an economic one.
Workplace disruptions, productivity losses and healthcare costs linked to TB continue to affect businesses, making prevention and early intervention a shared responsibility.
Dr Clarke acknowledged the leadership shown by participating companies, noting that private sector involvement is essential to ending TB in Papua New Guinea.
With TB fully curable if detected early, B4H is urging more businesses to join its workplace programmes and support ongoing awareness and testing initiatives.
“All businesses in NCD are encouraged to support the ongoing work of B4H by sponsoring and participating in workplace training programmes,” Dr Clarke said.
The message to the business community is clear: investing in employee health is not only a social responsibility, but also a strategic imperative.
As the country continues to battle one of its deadliest infectious diseases, initiatives such as the World TB Day installation demonstrate how business leadership, collaboration and visibility can drive meaningful improvements in public health outcomes.
