After butuanon river yields virus: Cortes orders citywide polio vaccination

CEBU, Philippines — Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes has ordered a citywide anti-polio vaccination for children five years old below and urged barangay captains to have the political will to implement this in their respective areas of responsibility.

This after the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) of the Department of Health has confirmed that environmental samples from Butuanon River in the city have tested positive for poliovirus.

“The vaccination is free. I am ordering a citywide polio vaccination unya kamong mga barangay captains pasabta gyud ang mga ginikanan nga importante gyud ni ang polio vaccination labi na kadtong five years old below nga wala nahuman ang ilang tulo ka vaccinations kay nangahadlok tungod atong Dengvaxia,” said the mayor in an emergency meeting with the members of the Butuanon-Mahiga Rivers Watershed Management Board.

Cortes added that there is no problem with how the vaccines will be sourced as the Department of Health will be the one to provide them.

The mayor also urged the barangay captains to strictly monitor the sanitation situation in their respective barangays and make sure residents have their own septic tanks and not just throw their human wastes directly into the river.

“Mao na nga kaning citywide polio vaccinations kay house to house gyud ni and we have to double our efforts. Polio virus is fatal,” he said.

He further urged barangay captains that those residents below 15 years with symptoms of the disease must be reported immediately to their barangay health centers or to the City Health Department.

Araceli Barlam, officer-in-charge of Mandaue City Environment and Natural Resources Office, said the Butuanon River traverses about 10 kilometers in 13 barangays in Mandaue side.

Barlam said the environmental samples taken by RITM came from Barangay Tingub, where there are only a few industries and many informal settlers.

Cortes also ordered that the Butuanon, Mahiga, and Tipolo rivers and their tributaries be off-limits to the general public.

“Pasabot ani way monaug sa sapa maghimo og any activities labi na kanang manguha ang graba or mag-quarry. Ato-a  gyud ning paningkamutan nga dili ni mokatap ang poliovirus,” the mayor added.

The Butuanon River traverses Cebu City, Mandaue City, and Consolacion town.

Cebu City’s action

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said the relocation plan for the informal settlers, including those along the riverbanks of Butuanon River, has always been there.

"Even without this (poliovirus) we really have to relocate those living in the danger zones," said Labella.

Labella said the purpose of the construction of medium-rise buildings, a thrust of his administration, is for the relocation of the city's informal settlers.

Each medium-rise building can accommodate at least a hundred.

Labella said that when the news broke out that Butuanon River tested positive for the poliovirus, the City Health Department (CHD) immediately took action.

He said CHD, headed by City Health Officer Daisy Villa, made a profiling within the five kilometer radius. Butuanon River is the anchor of Barangays Pit-os, Talamban, Bacayan, and San Jose.

For the profiling, a health worker visits a household where a survey will be conducted to determine those who have health problems and those who have completed their vaccination.

"On this problem, we will continue enjoined sanitation... sanitation is very important. Ikaduha, we continue with the profiling. Ikatulo, ang atong paghatag og vaccination. It's going to be a city-wide vaccination but we will first focus on the area within the five kilometer radius," said Labella.

"We'll continue with our earnest efforts together with the City of Mandaue to jointly clear and clean our waterways... but, at this point, dili sa namo himoon ang massive clean-up kay gi-off limits sa nato ang areas because of this report of the presence of poliovirus," he added. (FREEMAN)