Whole-of-government approach to contain polio — DOH

MANILA, Philippines — To control the outbreak of polio and enable the country to remain polio-free, the Department of Health (DOH) is implementing a whole-of-government approach as it reported yesterday that all government agencies are participating in the polio immunization drive.

Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said the DOH is coordinating with local government units, Philippine National Police and the defense and social welfare departments so health workers would be able to cover even remote areas.

“It’s going to be a whole-country approach. We are even asking the help of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to help in the immunization,” he noted.        

Although there are only two confirmed polio cases, Domingo said the DOH is undertaking a wide outbreak response to prevent further transmission of the virus.

“The department has a very strict definition of an outbreak, we don’t declare it unless we have all confirmed scientific data,” he added, noting that aside from two confirmed polio cases, the virus was also obtained from sewerage and water system in Manila and Davao.        

He clarified, though, that there is no wild poliovirus circulating in the country. The World Health Organization (WHO) still considers the Philippines polio-free as of yesterday.

Domingo said the DOH is working with WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund in ensuring that all children under five years will be given the vaccine against polio.

An intensified polio immunization drive, he added, is focused on Lanao del Sur, Davao del Sur, Davao City and Marawi – where the virus is currently circulating. All children in these areas will be given an extra dose of the vaccine whether they have been vaccinated before or not.

“We are doing intensive immunization to make sure that polio will not re-emerge after we have eradicated the virus,” Domingo explained.

He said epidemiologists in the country’s different regions are also actively monitoring Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) to find out if these are also polio cases so the appropriate response can be done.

In Cotabato City, DOH has quarantined a three-month-old infant suspected of being afflicted with poliomyelitis or infantile paralysis, also known as polio.

The child is now confined at the Cotabato Regional Medical Center. The DOH-12 confirmed yesterday that the child was admitted early this week for fever and paralysis of one leg.

Jenny Panizalez Ventura, DOH-12 information officer, said the hospital has initiated tests to determine if the patient contracted poliomyelitis. The specimens were also submitted for laboratory analysis.

Poliomyelitis is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus.