THE LOCAL government of Zamboanga said it is targeting to immunize over 205,000 children to protect them from polio, a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by a virus that spreads from person to person.
Mayor Beng Climaco again urged parents to have their children immunized against the highly contagious disease, usually transmitted through the fecal-oral route and may result in life-long paralysis and even death.
Climaco, who led the recent launching of the “Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio 3” (SKSP-3) program, said the City Health Office (CHO) targets some 205,180 children aged 0 to 10 years, regardless of immunization status, for the bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) which began on July 20 until August 2 for children aged zero to below 10 years old in an effort to contain and eradicate polio here.
She said the anti-polio drive, organized by the Department of Health (DOH) in partnership in collaboration with the CHO and the World Health Organization (WHO), seeks to prevent polio outbreak, a scenario health workers and officials are committed to avoid despite the complications and challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our hardworking health workers will go house-to-house to administer oral polio vaccines to children below 10 years old, regardless of vaccination status,” Climaco said, adding, health workers will wear face shields and face masks as protection for themselves and the children.
Health workers underwent a series of orientation on the minimum health standards, as well as infection control protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic prior to the start of the anti-polio program, according to Climaco, who thanked the DOH and WHO for the assistance.
Climaco reminded the public, especially children, to constantly wash hands with soap and for parents to always observe sanitary preparation of food and drinks. She said there is no cure for polio, but it can only be prevented with three doses of the polio vaccine.
In the last anti-polio drive in February, the local government vaccinated 221,917 children – more than 8% from the target.
Last September 19, the DOH announced a polio outbreak in the Philippines and launched a synchronized polio vaccination campaign which aims to boost immunization coverage against polio by giving three doses of the oral polio vaccine to all children regardless of their immunization status.
The country has seen a decline of immunization coverage in the past few years, including for protection against polio. In 2018, at least 66% of children completed their oral polio vaccine (drops) doses and 45% received their inactivated polio vaccine (injection) dose. (Zamboanga Post. With additional report from Claudine Uniana.)
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Mayor Beng Climaco with an unidentified WHO official and a Filipino health official during the start of the "Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio 3" program in Zamboanga City. (Claudine Uniana)
Mayor Beng Climaco again urged parents to have their children immunized against the highly contagious disease, usually transmitted through the fecal-oral route and may result in life-long paralysis and even death.
Climaco, who led the recent launching of the “Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio 3” (SKSP-3) program, said the City Health Office (CHO) targets some 205,180 children aged 0 to 10 years, regardless of immunization status, for the bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) which began on July 20 until August 2 for children aged zero to below 10 years old in an effort to contain and eradicate polio here.
She said the anti-polio drive, organized by the Department of Health (DOH) in partnership in collaboration with the CHO and the World Health Organization (WHO), seeks to prevent polio outbreak, a scenario health workers and officials are committed to avoid despite the complications and challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our hardworking health workers will go house-to-house to administer oral polio vaccines to children below 10 years old, regardless of vaccination status,” Climaco said, adding, health workers will wear face shields and face masks as protection for themselves and the children.
Health workers underwent a series of orientation on the minimum health standards, as well as infection control protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic prior to the start of the anti-polio program, according to Climaco, who thanked the DOH and WHO for the assistance.
Climaco reminded the public, especially children, to constantly wash hands with soap and for parents to always observe sanitary preparation of food and drinks. She said there is no cure for polio, but it can only be prevented with three doses of the polio vaccine.
In the last anti-polio drive in February, the local government vaccinated 221,917 children – more than 8% from the target.
Last September 19, the DOH announced a polio outbreak in the Philippines and launched a synchronized polio vaccination campaign which aims to boost immunization coverage against polio by giving three doses of the oral polio vaccine to all children regardless of their immunization status.
The country has seen a decline of immunization coverage in the past few years, including for protection against polio. In 2018, at least 66% of children completed their oral polio vaccine (drops) doses and 45% received their inactivated polio vaccine (injection) dose. (Zamboanga Post. With additional report from Claudine Uniana.)
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