Polio cases rising

Two confirmed cases of polio in the country have been tallied by the DOH. The first was a three-year-old girl from Lanao del Sur. The second a five-year-old boy from Laguna. In 2000 the Philippines was declared polio-free because of good vaccination programs. But unfortunately only sixty-six percent of eligible children were vaccinated against polio last year. The target of the DOH is ninety-five percent. Definitely way off.

And what is the big reason why most children go unvaccinated against polio? I believe we already know the reason why. Not just polio but also for measles. Of course the country no longer has a vaccine against dengue which the DOH has also tallied the highest number of cases in years.

Yes, Dengvaxia has never been proven to cause any of the deaths being blamed on it. Several countries continue to have Dengvaxia in their markets including America. As long as proper conditions are met protection against dengue is provided.

Health issues should never be politicized. Such is the statement of experts from here and other countries. They should be calmly addressed scientifically and not emotionally. It should be noted that whenever  a government official states something, there is a high percentage that people will believe especially if it concerns health.

Because of the fear associated with the whole Dengvaxia issue, it is highly possible that fear is passed on to all vaccines regardless of their proven safety. The issue should not have been raised to a national level of fear and paranoia, with all the theatrics available for the media to show without solid evidence to prove its danger. The person widely being blamed for the "vaccine-fear" is now on the defensive. That's the way it is.

Poliomyelitis is no joke. This is a debilitating illness that can lead to a child's death if the condition is severe. Survivors may end up disabled or physically challenged for the rest of their lives. It is sad that we were already polio-free but is now back.

Hopefully it does not spread to epidemic levels which would be catastrophic. If there are still children who have not been given the anti-polio vaccine because of the fear we were just discussing, now is the time to have it done. Seriously. This is the wake-up call, a rude awakening. No more excuses, no more arguments and definitely no more political discussions regarding vaccines.