Polio Comes Back
When it rains, it pours.” The cliche seems to apply to the current health situation in the country. There's the COVID-2019 threat, which comes on top of the running dengue and measles outbreaks.
$nd polio has come back. $n outbreak of polio has been declared in the 3hilippines, since 6eptember last year. In &ebu, the presence of polio virus has been detected at certain rivers. 2nce again, )ilipino children are at risk of lifelong paralysis from polio.
3olio is a highly contagious disease caused by poliovirus invading the nervous system. Its symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiff neck and sudden onset of floppy arms or legs. In severe cases, it can lead to permanent paralysis or even death. &hildren under five years of age are most vulnerable to the disease.
7here are so far two confirmed polio cases in the country: a five-year-old male in the north and a three-year-old female in the south. 7hese cases have prompted the '2+ declaration of a polio “epidemic” or “outbreak.” :hile the number might seem insignificant, it is already “considered an epidemic in a poliofree country,” according to a ranking health official.
(nvironmental samples from 0anila and 'avao have also tested positive for poliovirus, an indication that polioviruses are likely circulating throughout the country. 3olio has returned after 19 years of the 3hilippines being free of the disease. 7he two confirmed cases are said to have been caused by vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2.
7he main vaccine used for the poliovirus eradication effort is an infectious, attenuated preparation called oral poliovirus vaccine 239 developed by $lbert 6abin. 'uring replication in the intestine, it confers immunity to infection and also changes genetically and re-acTuires the ability to cause paralysis. 7hese vaccine-derived polioviruses can circulate in the population and cause polio outbreaks.
6ince 2ctober last year, the 'epartment of +ealth '2+ and partner agencies have been working together on a comprehensive polio outbreak response, including mass polio immuni]ation rounds. $ll children, regardless of whether they are covered by the mass immuni]ation campaign or not, are to be vaccinated according to the set immuni]ation schedule. 7he :orld +ealth 2rgani]ation :+2 provides technical advice on the outbreak response, on-the-ground monitoring and support for risk communication.
$side from door-to-door initiatives, the '2+ says it is deploying resources in health centers nationwide. $nti-polio vaccination in the country has dropped to 66 percent, while coverage of at least 95 percent of the population is needed to prevent outbreaks of the disease. 7he health department sees low vaccination coverage, poor early surveillance of polio symptoms, and substandard sanitation practices as culprits in the reemergence of the disease.
7he drop in polio immuni]ation coverage can be attributed to many reasons, including erosion of public confidence in vaccines caused by problems with the dengue vaccine 'engva[ia, and reductions in the nation¶s health budget. $mid these challenges, health secretary )rancisco 'uTue urges parents, health workers, and local governments to fully participate in the '2+¶s synchroni]ed polio vaccination that targets 4,090,228 children below five years of age.
7he :+2 is working closely with the '2+ in its anti-polio response. It recommends a vaccination schedule involving three doses of oral polio vaccine 239 and one dose of inactivated polio vaccine I39 . 7he 239 is more effective in stopping polio outbreaks – but since it contains live, weakened virus, it can also cause vaccine-derived polio virus.
7he '2+ urges local governments to intensify their =ero 2pen 'efecation program and push for proper sanitation practices in their respective communities, especially regular hand-washing.