March 29, 2024

The Baguio City Health Services Office has recorded a steady rate of below 90 percent immunization rate for children below one year old and zero cases of polio in the last five years, an official said on Tuesday.
“In the last five years, we have been having rates of below 90 percent coverage on immunization pero wala pa naman tayong naire-report na polio case in Baguio City,” CHSO chief, Dr. Rowena Galpo, said.
She said the benchmark should be 95 percent to prevent any outbreak of polio, measles, and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
She said CHSO does not only monitor the immunization rate for polio but also the fully immunized children, meaning that all vaccines in which a child below one year old must be given.
Galpo said a fully immunized child is one who has taken three oral polio vaccines and one injectable polio vaccine; diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis or DTP; two anti-measles vaccines, and bacilli Calmette-Guerin to protect the child from tuberculosis.
Galpo said Baguio has been polio-free for the last nine years.
However, the CHSO has resumed the surveillance to assure that cases will be immediately acted upon. The surveillance includes reporting even if there are zero cases.
“Any disease for that matter na merong parang medyo humina ang legs, hindi makalakad, that’s called acute flaccid paralysis, ire-report kaagad,” Galpo said.
Galpo said some ways to prevent polio is to be immunized, refrain from open defecation, and to maintain a clean and sanitary toilet.
She said the poliovirus thrives in the stomach and it goes with the feces during defecation, so there is a need to assure that human feces are disposed of properly.
She said Baguio has not yet attained a 100 percent toilet-complete residential facility due to the presence of mobile informal settlers. – PNA