MANILA, Philippines — The local city government of Manila has reported Monday (02 December 2019) it has successfully launched the third round of its anti-polio vaccination campaign and far exceeded the target.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said the city’s success rate reached to as high as 100.18% or equivalent to 197,000 children who had been given oral polio vaccine throughout the city.

The mayor further boasted that Manila not only reached the target of 95 percent but it also went beyond because of sound community-parental communication and cooperation with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Manila Health Department.

According to Moreno, the World Health Organization (WHO) would be greatly pleased with the city’s response to such a call as the number of vaccines dispensed exceeded expectations.

Although many have been given oral polio vaccines, the mayor said that the city government’s polio vaccination campaign will continue until the end of the year. 

Health authorities declared polio vanquished two years but new cases are reportedly on the rise and this is the reason why the Department of Health (DOH) ordered another round of anti-polio vaccination.

Last Monday, November 25, the 8th case of polio recorded in the country this year was confirmed to be a 9-year-old girl from Basilan.

The child was reported to not have received any polio vaccine.

Out of the 8 cases of polio, 7 have emerged from Mindanao and that the  DOH is coordinating with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s Ministry of Health to maximize immunization coverage and intensify polio vaccination efforts in Basilan.

Meanwhile, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III reported to the media saying he is confident that there are enough stocks of oral polio vaccine (OPV). (Gelica Paulo/IAMIGO/CNS)