Marikina backs polio campaign

The city government of Marikina, the pilot area of the Healthy Cities program of the World Health Organization, will support the simultaneous nationwide campaign of the Department of Health launching "Balik Patak Door-to-Door Vaccine."

Mayor Ma. Lourdes C. Fernando led the kick-off ceremonies held at the Freedom Plaza yesterday.

According to the City Health Officer, Dr. Alberto Herrera, more than 60,000 children below the age of five are expected to benefit from the simultaneous drive in its 16 barangay health centers.

Marikina will mobilize all of its health workers, community volunteers and barangay officials for the massive information campaign distributing fliers and leaflets to the communities to ensure success.

The first actual "Door-to-Door" drive in the city will start on Feb. 2-8. Any child missed in the first visit will be revisited until he/she is eventually vaccinated from March 2 to 8.

Right now, health personnel conduct lectures while the city’s mobile unit visits the remote areas educating the people about the tricky and sneaky wild polio virus that transformed itself into another version - a mutant called the Vaccine-Derived Polio Virus.

Report showed that the mutant has developed among our population mainly because of declining routine vaccination of infants especially in the congested areas.