Polio, a debilitating and infectious disease caused by the poliovirus, stages a comeback in the Philippines, a full decade since experts declared its demise.

The Center for Disease Prevention and Control or CDC states that the virus spreads only with humans and when infected, the person suffers from paralysis because the virus infects the person’s brain and spinal cord.

Usually, the symptoms are not entirely visible for about 72 out of 100 infected people. About one out of 4 individuals with polio virus will have flu-like symptoms such as: sore throat, fever, tiredness, Nausea,Headache
and Stomach pain. These symptoms last for two to 5 days.

Those with a more serious cases exhibit more serious symptoms such as paresthesia, meningitis, and paralysis or weakness in the arms, legs or both. Paralysis often lead to permanent disability and death. The CDC says that “Between 2 and 10 out of 100 people who have paralysis from poliovirus infection die because the virus affects the muscles that help them breathe.”

Department of Health (DOH) undersecretary Eric Domingo says in an interview that the health department is now actively implementing an anti-polio campaign thru immunisation. Polio is curable.

Domingo also urges citizens to undertake proper disposal of human wastes or faeces. A person can get the polio virus thru exposure from faeces with virus.

” To fight polio, government must help people build proper sanitation and toilet facilities. The country needs more than 70,000 toilets,” says Domingo.

Congress had just slashed the budget of the health department by more than 10 billion pesos. Its immunisation program, however, remains intact at 7 billion pesos.