By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews
Since the report Thursday of four additional polio cases reported in the Philippines, there has been a flurry of news activity coming from the archipelago. Let’s take a look at a sample:
QC polio case ‘immunocompromised’, says DOH
THE Department of Health (DOH) on Friday, January 17, disclosed that the three-year-old boy afflicted with the poliovirus in Quezon City has been found to have an impaired immune system.
In an interview, DOH Undersecretary Eric Domingo said they have received a report that the first patient from Metro Manila is immunocompromised, which makes him vulnerable to diseases despite getting a complete dose of oral polio vaccines (OPV).
3 Cotabato towns declared zero open defecation areas amid polio threat
At least three towns in North Cotabato have been declared ‘zero open defecation’ (ZOD) areas, amid efforts to combat the threat of poliovirus.
Doctor Eva Rabaya, head of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) in Cotabato, identified President Roxas, Antipas, and Arakan towns –all located in the Arakan Valley Development Complex –as ZOD areas.
Metro Manila polio case lends new urgency to immunization drive
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III again urged parents to have their children inoculated against polio after investigators found that the first polio victim in Metro Manila had received the five required polio vaccine doses but not the one for the virus strain found in most new cases.
Caraga gears up for 2nd round polio vaccination
After completing the first round of “Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio” or SPKP last year, the Department of Health in the Cagara Region (DOH-13) said it is ready to launch the second round of polio vaccination from January 20 to February 2.
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