UN urges vaccination drive amid polio outbreak in the Philippines

UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations is pushing for the vaccination of children in the Philippines and other parts of the world following the confirmation of the first case of polio in the country in almost two decades.

“This is yet another incident that underscores the need for children all over the world – in rich countries, in developing countries, in poor countries – to be vaccinated,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, said at a press briefing on Friday (Manila time). 

“We need to underscore at every point the necessity and the importance of vaccines,” he added.

Dujarric said the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are supporting the Philippines in dealing with the problem.

“WHO urged that all children under the age of five be vaccinated, with UNICEF stressing that as long as one single child remains infected, children across the Philippines and even beyond are at risk of contracting polio,” he said.

“The last known case of this type of poliovirus was recorded in the Philippines in 1993, and the country was declared polio-free in 2000,” added the UN official.

A polio epidemic was declared in the Philippines after a three-year-old girl in Lanao del Sur was confirmed to have contracted the disease, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Thursday.

It was the first confirmed case of the contagious illness since the Philippines was declared polio-free 19 years ago.

Duque said environmental samples from sewage in Tondo, Manila and waterways in Davao City also tested positive for poliovirus.

WHO and UNICEF earlier expressed concern over the development, with their representatives in the country saying they are working closely with the Department of Health in strengthening surveillance and swiftly responding to the outbreak.

“It is deeply disconcerting that poliovirus has re-emerged in the Philippines after nearly two decades. The outbreak calls for urgent action to protect more children from being infected,” said UNICEF Philippines representative Oyun Dendevnorov.

“It reminds us of the importance of increasing immunization coverage to 95 percent of children to stop poliovirus transmission in the Philippines. Vaccination is the only and best protection against polio that mainly affects children under five years of age,” he added.

WHO representative in the Philippines Rabindra Abeyasinghe urged parents and caregivers of children under five years of age to have them vaccinated “so that they are protected against polio for life.”

WHO noted that vaccination coverage in the Philippines has been steadily declining over the past years, stressing that it takes multiple doses of the vaccine to achieve full immunity against polio.

The organization said the polio outbreak in the Philippines has been confirmed to be from a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2.

“Poorly conducted immunization activities, when too few children have received the required three doses of polio vaccine, leave them susceptible to poliovirus, either from vaccine-derived or wild polioviruses. Full immunization protects them from both forms of the virus,” it said.

The two organizations said local governments must ensure that vaccination campaigns are planned and implemented effectively, noting that celebrities, community and religious leaders must mobilize their communities to participate in immunization activities.

“WHO and UNICEF also remind families to wash their hands regularly with soap and water, use a toilet, consume food that is fully cooked and drink safe water,” read the statement.

“If the safety of your water is in doubt, boil it, ensuring it is bubbling vigorously for at least one minute before allowing it to cool,” it added.