The Department of Health confirms that Poliomyelitis is re-appearing in the Philippines, 19 years after the country was declared polio-free by the World Health Organization in 2000.
This is an alarming state given the fact that the Philippines had been free of polio for almost two decades yet, this year, more cases of the polio is in fact, infecting our citizens.
One recorded case is from the DOH that stated, “One polio case was confirmed in a three-year-old from Lanao del Sur. Aside from the confirmed case, a suspected case of acute flaccid paralysis is awaiting confirmation. In addition, the poliovirus has been detected in samples taken from sewage in Manila, and the waterways in Davao, as part of the regular environmental surveillance. The samples were tested by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and verified by the Japan National Institute for Infectious Diseases, and the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.”
What is polio? Poliomyelitis is a potentially-deadly infectious disease caused by a virus known as poliovirus, transmitted from person to person, and which can enter an infected individual’s brain and spinal cord, causing him to be unable to move some parts of the body.
There is no cure for polio –it can only be prevented with multiple doses of vaccines that have long been proven safe and effective.
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Individuals with poliovirus infection will have flu-like symptoms that may include sore throat, fever, tiredness, nausea, headache, and stomach pain. These symptoms usually go on for about two to five days, then disappear on their own.
However, a smaller proportion of individuals with poliovirus infection will develop other serious signs and symptoms that affect the brain and spinal cord, including: Paresthesia (feeling of pins and needles in the legs), Meningitis (infection of the covering of the spinal cord or brain), and Paralysis (numbness or lack of sensation or weakness in the arms, legs, or both).
Again, there is no treatment to polio but there are prevention measures: the administration of polio vaccine which protects children by getting their bodies to fight the polio virus.
Almost all children who get all the recommended doses of the vaccine will be protected from polio.
There are two types of vaccine that can prevent polio: inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) and oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV).
Here in the Philippines, OPV is administered in the health care facilities.
The DOH, in cooperation with the local government units, as well as other known agencies in the Philippines, and with the support of WHO and the UN Children’s Fund, is preparing quick action to fight the polio outbreak.
This includes synchronized oral polio vaccinations to protect every child under the age of five years in areas at risk beginning this month.
Aside from the ongoing action, they also recommend maintaining strict hygiene, including washing hands regularly, using toilets properly, drinking safe water, and eating nutritious food.
Romula P. Gravador
Tubigon Elementary School
Sibulan 1 District
[email protected]
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