DOH confirms fourth polio case in Philippines

November 6, 2019

A three year-old girl from Sultan Kudarat became the fourth confirmed case of polio in the Philippines, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

In a statement issued late Tuesday night, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said: "The test conducted by our Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and the National Institute of Infectious Disease - Japan confirms the fourth polio case in the country."

In a separate interview, Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo the girl was  based in Maguindanao for a month but she is residing in Sultan Kudarat.

"It is uncertain where the virus came from in the two areas," said Domingo.

The latest case, Domingo noted, did not take oral polio vaccine.

The health department said they will continue with the targeted immunization campaign for children five years and below in the towns where the third and fourth cases were found.

Duque told parents and caregivers in Mindanao a second round of polio immunization campaign beginning November 25.

"We can defeat polio, but we need the public to trust and actively participate in our immunization program," said Duque.

Last September, the health department reported two confirmed cases of polio in the country in a three-year-old girl from Lanao Del Sur, and a five-year-old boy from Laguna.

This had prompted the health department to declare a polio epidemic explaining even just one case can be considered as an outbreak in a polio-free country, like the Philippines. DMS