MANILA, Philippines — The number of people who contracted polio has risen to 16 nearly four months since an outbreak was declared in the country last September.
The Department of Health said Thursday there were four more polio cases in the country: a two-year-old boy and a three-year-old boy from Maguindanao, a two-year-old boy from Sultan Kudarat, and a three-year-old boy from Quezon City.
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All of them experienced fever, diarrhea, muscle pain, asymmetric ascending paralysis and weakness of extremities, the DOH said.
Polio can cause paralysis and can be fatal in rare cases. The disease has no cure and can only be prevented with several doses of oral and injectable vaccines.
There will be additional rounds of vaccination campaign on January 20 to February 2 in all regions of Mindanao, and on January 27 to February 7 in National Capital Region.
“I urge all parents and caregivers of children under five years old to take part in the coming Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio campaign rounds scheduled in your respective areas. Have your children, including those with private physicians or paediatricians, vaccinated with oral polio vaccine by health workers and bakunators,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.
He added: “Additional polio doses can provide additional protection to your children. There is no overdose with the oral polio vaccine.”
DOH also called on health facilities to report promptly every case of acute flaccid paralysis—a condition characterized by the weakening or the loss of muscle tone—in any child under 15 years of age and gather sufficient stool specimen samples.
Polio re-emerged in the Philippines after the country was hit by measles and dengue outbreaks stoked by falling vaccination rates.