CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- About 19,495 children from ages zero to five received oral polio vaccination here four days since the City Health Office launched the Sabayang Patak Konta Polyo (SPKP) campaign.
Dr. Iris Muñoz, Expanded Program in Immunization manager, said the city is targeting 85 percent of the 36,069 eligible population of zero-to-59-month Fernandinos in the 35 barangays.
“Ito po ay simultaneous campaign kung saan kumakatok po kami sa bawat bahay para patakan ng mOPV2 [monovalent type 2 oral polio vaccine] ang mga batang below five years old para po maiwasan natin ang polio outbreak dito sa San Fernando,” Muñoz said.
The CHO will continue the anti-polio immunization drive until August 16 and Fernandino kids will be receiving their second dose of polio vaccine in the second round of SPKP in September.
Meanwhile, Muñoz assured parents and guardians that the polio vaccine is safe for their children.
“Sana po, mga parents, kapag po may kumakataok sa atin na health workers pagbuksan po natin sila. Ina-assure naman po namin na safe itong vaccine na ibinibigay sa mga batang Fernandino dahil ang DOH (Department of Health) po ang nagbigay nito and approved by the WHO (World Health Organization),” the doctor explained.
As of the writing, the City of San Fernando has no reported case of polio.
Despite this, Mayor Edwin “EdSa” Santiago still enjoins Fernanindo parents to support the city’s advocacies for health.
“Sa mga magulang na Fernandino, suportahan natin ang adbokasiya ng gobyerno sa pagbabakuna at paggagamot. Sama-sama nating sugpuin ang polyo upang manatiling malusog, masigla at matalino ang ating mga anak,” the mayor said.
SPKP is a DOH campaign, with support from the WHO and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). that gives out free vaccines to children to help them fight the poliovirus.
According to the WHO, poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious viral disease that largely affects children under five years of age. The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the fecal-oral route or, less frequently, by a common vehicle (e.g. contaminated water or food) and multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis. (PR)