PH still polio-free country: DOH

FILE: Department of Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo (PNA photo by Ma. Teresa Montemayor)

MANILA — The Philippines remains a polio-free country, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday.

“Technically, the WHO (World Health Organization) clarified that Philippines is still polio-free kasi ang polio-free means na-eradicate natin ang (because polio-free means we have eradicated the) wild polio virus or the naturally occurring virus. The two cases we had are vaccine-derived and not wild polio virus,” DOH Undersecretary Rolando Enrique Domingo said on the sidelines of the Generics Month press conference.

On Sept. 19, the DOH declared the reemergence of polio in the country, 19 years after the WHO declared Philippines polio-free.

“A vaccine-derived polio is from the vaccine we have taken and eliminated from our body tapos napunta sa tubig tapos nakain natin uli, naidumi ulit (then it goes to the water and then we eat it, and eliminate again), which after several years undergo a bit of mutations when the process is repeated,” Domingo said.

He added the mutations cause the virus in the vaccine, which does not cause disease, to “eventually regain its ability to cause disease especially among the children”.

While Domingo stressed that there is no case of wild polio in the country, he said the government is consistent with its efforts to immunize all children under five years to protect them from the disease.

“We’re meeting with the WHO and the UNICEF for the vaccines they will be providing us. We have routine vaccination for the other areas but we will be implementing extra vaccination in areas where there is active circulation since we have environmental monitoring of the whole country,” he said.

When asked about the polio case in Cotabato, Domingo clarified that it is an acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) case and not polio.

“Our surveillance of polio includes AFP which includes kids who will get sick and experience sudden weakening of the lower extremities. We have their stool samples taken and then tested to check if it is positive with polio because AFP can also be caused by other diseases,” he said.

Domingo added there are only two confirmed cases in the country — one each in Lanao del Sur and Calamba, Laguna — but the DOH is monitoring seven AFP cases in Zamboanga and one case in Cotabato.

“We’re making a more intensive campaign against polio to make sure it won’t come back. It will be an outbreak response type of immunization,” he said.

On Oct. 14 and 15, the DOH will give all kids under five years old in Lanao del Sur, Davao City, Davao del Sur and Marawi extra dose of polio vaccine whether they have been vaccinated or not.

“The polio vaccination in the National Capital Region is part of the routine vaccination we do in schools and in communities together with measles vaccines which is ongoing,” Domingo said.