DOH To Initiate Polio Vaccination In Capital, Regions III And IV-A
DOH – The Department of Health (DOH) recently said that they will initiate a polio vaccine program in the capital and regions III and IV-A.
The agency previously urged the parents to vaccinate their children, especially those who are under a year old. The children have to take three doses of oral polio vaccine or OPV and one dose of inactivated polio vaccine.
The agency further added that the country is in danger of losing its polio-free status for almost 19 years. Asode from that, children are also in danger from being infected from the poliovirus coming from neighboring countries where it is currently reoccurring.
Recently, the agency recently announced that they will begin enacting the vaccine program.
A report fom GMA News states that the poliovirus, the virus agent causing the paralytic disease, was spotted in sewage or wastewaters in Manila.
The agency’s secretary Francisco Duque III said that so far there haven;t been any reported cases of polio in the recent years. He, however, said that two samples from a sewage in Manila are positive for vaccine-derived poliovirus or VDPV, thus, he said that unless dealt with appropriately, the disease will occur.
The paralytic disease poliomyelitis affects kids aged 15 years and below. The nation was declared polio-free in October 2000.
As per the report, the agency vaccinated at about 100 kindergarten students in Quiapo, Manila. They aim to immunize at about 196, 000 kids who are below five years old in Manila.
Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire from the agency said that if children, especially those who are not vaccinated, swam in the waters coming from the Manila Bay, there is a high chance that they will be infected.
She further urged that the Bay and the Pasig River should be closed.
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