DAVAO CITY ——The City Health Office (CHO) is holding two more rounds of anti-polio immunization for three types of poliovirus in February and March.
CHO was prompted to hold another set of vaccination in the extended “Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio” following the reported case of Type 1 poliovirus in Sultan Kudarat and in Quezon City. DOH extended its Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio campaign to ensure that no child is left unvaccinated and to boost protection for those already vaccinated.
Despite the recorded 104% coverage in last year’s conduct of Sabayang Patak for Type 2 poliovirus, CHO deemed it necessary to conduct two more rounds after additional cases were reported. The next round is scheduled on January 22 to February 2.
City Health Officer Dr. Josephine Villafuerte emphasized the need for parents to bring their children to all health centers and other areas which will be identified soon by CHO, to receive the oral polio vaccine. “We are asking those who had anti-polio 1 and 2, to have again the third immunization.”
In Caraga region, Department of Health in the Cagara Region (DOH-13) director Jose Llacuna Jr. renewed his call to families and parents to have their children aged 0-59 months vaccinated.
Llacuna said the second round of vaccination will be done in coordination with the local government units (LGUs), national government agencies, and other stakeholders in the region. Caraga achieved 94.1 percent vaccination coverage during the first round of SPKP last year.
The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday, confirmed four more polio cases in the country, bringing the total number of polio cases to 16 since the outbreak was declared in September 2019.
The DOH said he first case of polio after 27 years was confirmed in Sabah, Malaysia on December 6, and revealed to have genetic links to the polio case found in Basilan.
Unlike in the first three rounds with the oral polio vaccine type 2 (OPV2), which will be allocated to children ages zero to 59 months old, Acosta said the additional rounds will be giving dosage of the bivalent vaccine or the oral polio vaccine type 1 and 3 (OPV1 and OPV3).
The health official said the extension is a measure to prevent the virus from spreading.-Jiann A. Padillo
