The City Health Office (CHO) will roll out a massive anti-polio immunization as it joins the week-long Nationwide Outbreak Response Immunization Campaign starting October 14.
City Health chief, Dr. Josephine Villafuerte has called on parents to bring their kids to the nearest health centers for immunization against poliomyelitis, saying there is no other way to prevent the disease except through immunization.
Villafuerte said the city is now prepared for the October 14 massive immunization drive, targeting 100 percent coverage for children ages 5 years old and younger to receive the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) or Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV).
She said CHO teams will cover every nook and corner of the city to achieve a 100-percent immunization coverage during the week-long campaign.
“We don’t want an 80 percent turnout, we want it to be 100 percent,” she said.
Villafuerte said the CHO would also establish immunization points near gated subdivisions to encourage residents to have their children immunized.
“We will even conduct a house to house campaign to ensure that every child will be immunized to prevent the poliovirus from affecting them,” she said.
Villafuerte, however, pointed out that OPVs are given by the CHO even without the outbreak as a measure to prevent polio.
“We must remember that our Davao River tested positive of the poliovirus so we need to conduct measures to prevent the epidemic here in the city,” she said.
Aside from immunization, Villafuerte reminded residents to also maintain proper hygiene, cook their food thoroughly, prevent swimming in rivers and other public swimming areas, wash their hands thoroughly and ensure that they have their own toilet. CIO
