MATAPOS ang halos dalawang dekada na idineklarang polio-free ang Pilipinas, kinumpirma ng Department of Health (DOH) ang pagbabalik ng polio sa bansa matapos na maitala ang unang kaso ng nakamamatay na sakit sa Lanao del Sur.
“One polio case was confirmed in a 3-year-old girl from Lanao del Sur,” sabi ng DOH.
“In addition, the poliovirus has been detected in samples taken from sewage in Manila and waterways in Davao as part of the regular environmental surveillance,” dagdag ng DOH.
Noong 2000, idineklara ng World Health Organization (WHO) ang pagiging polio-free ng bansa.
“A single confirmed polio case of vaccine-derived polio virus type 2 (VDPV2) or two positive environmental samples that are genetically linked isolated in two different locations is considered an epidemic in a polio-free country,” sabi ng DOH.
Hinikayat naman ni Health Secretary Francisco Duque III ang mga magulang na pabakunahan ang mga anak kontra polio.
“We strongly urge parents, health workers and local governments to fully participate in the synchronized polio vaccination. It is the only way to stop the polio outbreak and to protect your child against this paralyzing disease,” ayon pa Duque.
Ipinaliwanag ng DOH na isang “infectious disease” ang polio na maaaring magdulot ng “paralysis at sa ilang kaso ay “fatal.”
“There is no cure for polio – it can only be prevented with multiple doses of polio vaccines that have long been proven safe and effective,” ayon pa kay Duque.