DOH-CAR calls for vigilance against Polio

September 23, 2019 Metro BLISTT

The Department of Health-Center for Health Development – CAR is advising the public to be vigilant in the fight against Polio of Poliomyelitis, a highly infectious viral disease mainly affecting young children.

Polio is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the fecal-oral route or contact with infected mucus or phlegm. It can also be acquired through contaminated water or food and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis.

Initial symptoms of Polio include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. The Philippines have reported the re-emergence of polio in the country. The first in a 3-year old girl in Lanao del Sur and the second in a 5-year old boy in Laguna.

Environmental samples in sewage in Manila and waterways in Davao also tested positive of the virus. Although CAR has not recorded any case of Polio within the region, we advise the public to practice good personal hygiene, wash hands regularly, use toilets, drink safe water and cook food thoroughly.

There is no cure for Polio, it can only be prevented by immunization. DOH-CHD-CAR, in a statement, urges the public to have their 5-year old and below aged children vaccinated so that they are protected against Polio virus.

Local government units within the region are also advised to improve sanitation, intensify disease surveillance and health promotion and strengthen vaccination campaigns to protect the community against the disease.

“Let us work together in this fight”, the statement said.