The Department of Health (DOH) declared a polio epidemic within the Philippines back in September. After 19 years of being polio-free, the country saw a re-emergence of the virus. Its 8th case has just recently been confirmed by the DOH.
(Polio Reappears In The Philippines After 19 Years)
A nine-year-old girl from Basilan was declared by officials to have contracted polio. It was reported by the DOH last Monday, along with the information that the girl was not vaccinated against the disease.
Her infection was verified by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases–Japan. Samples taken from here were sent to be tested and came back as positive for the poliovirus.
The first case of polio was declared in Lanao del Sur. Following that, the second and third cases were found in Laguna and Maguindanao, respectively. The fourth to seventh cases were all from Mindanao.
(These countries now require polio vaccination certificates from travelers)
In light of this, the DOH has been holding vaccination campaigns to warn against the disease. The next round will be held starting Nov. 25 until Dec. 7 in the National Capital Region and Mindanao.
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