DOH aims to vaccinate 5.5M kids vs. polio

The Department of Health (DOH) is aiming to have 5.5 million children vaccinated as a measure against the rise of polio in the country following its re-emergence in Lanao del Sur.

According to a report by JP Soriano on GMA News TV's Balitanghali, some babies in Quezon City had been vaccinated during a gathering under the observation of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

The DOH confirmed on Thursday that a three-year old child from Lanao was infected with Polio Virus Type 2. They are also keeping watch of a child in Laguna who is also suspected of having polio.

According to the DOH, they started the polio vaccination program in August 2019 in Metro Manila.

For next month, they aim to simultaneously hold a vaccination program for children below five years old in Metro Davao City and Lanao del Sur.

"The polio vaccinations happen all year round, but our coverage dropped for the past five years," Rolando Enrique Domingo, an undersecretary of the Department of Health, told Reuters.

"We've learned our lesson. It is time to move on and really start vaccinating all kids and make sure we sustain this every year."

Vaccination teams will aim to administer polio drops to every child younger than five, he added.

A dirty environment, particularly open defecation or the lack of clean bathrooms, may be the cause of return of polio, the DOH said.

Another cause for the return of polio is the public's fear of vaccinations following the Dengvaxia controversy, it added.

They advised the public to boil water and keep their hands clean as everyone can get the disease regardless of age.

The DOH is still preparing for vaccinations for the rest of the country.

There is no cure for the virus, which invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours, but it can be prevented with vaccines.

The virus spreads rapidly among children, especially in unsanitary conditions in underdeveloped or war-torn regions where healthcare access is limited.

Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan are the last three countries where the disease is endemic. The last known case in the Philippines had been in 1993, according to the World Health Organization.

Immunization coverage in the Philippines is at 70%, below the recommended rate of 95%, Domingo said, as trust in vaccines declined.  — Joahna Lei Casilao with Reuters/KBK/RSJ, GMA News