• News
  • Sport
  • TV
  • Radio
  • Education
  • TV Licences
  • Contact Us
  • SOUTH AFRICA
  • POLITICS
  • BUSINESS
  • SPORT
  • AFRICA
  • WORLD
  • FEATURES
  • OPINION
No Result
View All Result
1
Home Sci-tech

Philippines to vaccinate millions as polio virus resurfaces

23 September 2019, 12:31 PM  |
Reuters Reuters |  @SABCNews
Immunisation coverage in the Philippines is at 70%, below the recommended rate of 95%.(File Image)

Immunisation coverage in the Philippines is at 70%, below the recommended rate of 95%.(File Image)

Image: Reuters

Immunisation coverage in the Philippines is at 70%, below the recommended rate of 95%.(File Image)

The Philippines has recorded its second case of polio, as it prepared to vaccinate millions of children against a disease it believed to have been eradicated two decades ago. A five-year-old boy in Laguna, south of the capital Manila, tested positive for the polio virus, the health department said.

This is the second case after a three-year-old girl was confirmed to be infected in a province about 1 400 km away.

Health officials appealed to parents and care givers of children to take part in the government’s polio vaccination programme, which comes as the Philippines grapples to tackle twin outbreaks of dengue and measles that have killed more than 1 000 people since January, most of them children.

“The polio vaccinations happen all year round but our coverage dropped for the past five years,” Rolando Enrique Domingo, an undersecretary of the Department of Health, told Reuters.

“We’ve learned our lesson. It is time to move on and really start vaccinating all kids and make sure we sustain this every year.”

The polio virus was detected in the sewage systems of Davao in a nearby province two months ago and in Tondo, a rundown area of Metro Manila notorious for slum communities, Domingo said.

Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan are the last three countries where the disease is endemic. The last known case in the Philippines had been in 1993, the World Health Organisation says.

Immunisation coverage in the Philippines is at 70%, below the recommended rate of 95%, Domingo said, as trust in vaccines declines.

There is no cure for polio, which invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours but it can be prevented with vaccines. The virus spreads rapidly among children, especially in unsanitary conditions in underdeveloped or war-torn regions where healthcare access is limited.

Children nationwide are at risk as long as a single child remains infected, the United Nations agency for children,UNICEF, has said.

The Philippines has faced a challenge recently in convincing parents to vaccinate children after it scrapped a dengue immunisation programme using Sanofi’s Dengvaxia in late 2017, following its linkage to child deaths.

More than 800 000 children received the vaccine.

The records of 119 dead children are being examined to determine if Dengvaxia was to blame, a panel of medical experts said in March. The inquiry continues and Sanofi has repeatedly said its vaccine is safe.

A vaccine campaign started in August in the historic heart of Manila will be expanded to cover more than 5 million children and go nationwide next year.

Share article
Tags: PhilippinesPolio vaccinationPolio
Previous Post

Thomas Cook CEO on liquidation: ‘I apologise’

Next Post

Denel confirms receiving R100 milion from Chad Republic

Related Posts

New born baby in hospital.

South Africa sees alarming spike in Fetal Alcohol Disorder rate

11 September 2023, 8:25 AM
Prof Bruce Mellado, chair of the local organising committee interacts with media ahead of the TIPP conference. The event brings together specialists from around the world to share best practice on Technology in Instrumentation and Particle Physics.

TIPP conference in Cape Town focusses on technological advancements

5 September 2023, 12:00 PM
FILE PHOTO - An internet cable is seen at a server room in this picture illustration taken in Warsaw January 24, 2012. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

INFOGRAPHIC: All you need to know about the SA undersea broken internet cables

18 August 2023, 7:21 PM
Logo of SiyaTutor, an AI-driven WhatsApp-based tutor chatbot designed to assist school learners in their educational journey.

WhatsApp combines AI in SiyaTutor for personalised learning

13 August 2023, 1:31 PM
FILE PHOTO: Twitter logo and a photo of Elon Musk are displayed through magnifier in this illustration taken October 27, 2022.

Elon Musk says Twitter’s blue bird to be replaced by an X

24 July 2023, 9:28 AM
Meta's Threads app and Twitter logos are seen in this illustration taken July 4, 2023.

Zuckerberg-Musk fights first round: Meta launches ‘Twitter Killer’ Threads app

6 July 2023, 7:29 AM
Next Post
Talib Sadik says the matter relates to the mismanagement of the state-owned company.

Denel confirms receiving R100 milion from Chad Republic

Most Viewed

  • 24hrs
  • Week
  • Month
  • Concern over exclusion of foreign nationals from Road Accident Fund
  • Cashless taxi service launched in Cape Town
  • Visitors planning to visit the Overberg region urged to postpone their trips
  • ANC building up in flames in Port St Johns
  • Western Cape on high alert following severe storm warning
  • High waves and rough water conditions force beach closures in the Western Cape
  • Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi to rest in the town he built and nurtured
  • NSPCA files criminal case against Julius Malema for alleged animal cruelty
  • Snow, heavy rainfall expected in parts of KZN: SAWS
  • Cold-front sweeps across SA bringing snow and chilly temperatures
  • Three dead, scores injured in Cape Town bus accident amidst severe weather
  • Significant rainfall helps dam levels in the Nelson Mandela Bay’s drought-stricken areas
  • Severe weather plunges Western Cape into chaos
  • Mbeki warns against private sector replacing government services
  • ‘Sundowns is capable of winning CAF Champions League for second time’

LATEST

France's Antoine Dupont runs through to score their seventh try
  • Sport

France will miss Dupont but have other leaders, says Vincent


Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a 2024 presidential election campaign event at Sportsman Boats in Summerville, South Carolina, U.S. September 25, 2023.
  • World

Trump opposes US request to limit his comments on election case


Climate change protest placards.
  • Politics

Ramaphosa urges global stage to act speedily to tackle climate change


A person holds a test tube labelled "Bird Flu" next to eggs.
  • Business

PODCAST | Consumers warned of expected poultry price hike


A supporter of Ghana's presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) holds a party flag as she reacts at party's headquaters in Accra, Ghana December 8, 2016.
  • Africa

Ghana’s former trade minister quits ruling party to run for president


Activist and author Zoleka Mandela.
  • South Africa

Zoleka’s passing on eve of Winnie Mandela’s birthday


Weather

  • About the SABC
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
  • Advertise
  • Disclaimer
  • Site Map

SABC © 2023

No Result
View All Result
  • SOUTH AFRICA
  • POLITICS
  • BUSINESS
  • SPORT
  • AFRICA
  • WORLD
  • FEATURES
  • OPINION

© 2023

Previous Thomas Cook CEO on liquidation: ‘I apologise’
Next Denel confirms receiving R100 milion from Chad Republic