MANILA, Philippines — The number of polio cases in the country increased to 16 after the Department of Health (DOH) recorded four more since the outbreak was declared in September 2019.
Two additional polio cases from Maguindanao, both males ages two and three, were recorded by the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM), according to DOH.
DOH said a two-year-old male from Sultan Kudarat and a three-year-old male from Quezon City were also recorded to have polio.
The children were said to have experienced fever, diarrhea, muscle pain, asymmetric ascending paralysis, and weakness of extremities.
In light of this, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III reiterated his call to parents to have their children receive vaccination through the agency’s Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio (SPKP).
“I urge all parents and caregivers of children under five years old to take part in the coming SPKP campaign rounds scheduled in your respective areas. Have your children, including those with private physicians or pediatricians, vaccinated with oral polio vaccine by health workers and ‘bakunators’. Additional polio doses can provide additional protection to your children,” Duque said in a statement.
Polio re-emerged in the Philippines after 19 years after one case was recorded in Lanao del Sur last year. It was in 2000 when the World Health Organization declared the country as polio-free.