101% of Zambo children immunized vs polio- CHO

101% of Zambo children

immunized vs polio- CHO

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ZAMBOANGA CITY (ZNS) –The City Health Office recently reported that 101% of the children ages from birth to 59 months in Zamboanga City have already been immunized against polio, a highly contagious viral infection that can lead to paralysis, breathing problems or even deaths.

City health officer Dr. Rodel Agbulos told the weekly press briefing in City Hall Monday that for the whole month of September the CHO’s medical team had conducted Measles-Rubella-Polio mass immunization for children ages from nine to 59 months.

He said oral polio vaccines (OPVs) were also given to children from birth to 59 months, covering 101% of the children within the said age bracket in a bid to make Zamboanga a polio-free city.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative reported that polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease. There is no cure, but there are safe and effective vaccines. The strategy to eradicate polio is therefore based on preventing infection by immunizing every child until transmission stops and the world is polio-free.

Meanwhile, Dr. Agbulos said additional manpower is needed to sustain health programs and services for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the different transitory sites and evacuation centers.

This, after the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) medical team has pulled out medical consultations from the Masepla Transitory Site in Mampang.

Thus, the city health officer has invited other agencies to help augment health personnel for the IDPs even as he suggested to identify IDPs who can be trained as barangay health workers or to compose the community health teams.

He said multipurpose halls that will serve as clinics have already been constructed at the transitory sites in barangays Taluksangay and Tulungatung. The one at Masepla TS will start construction soon. (Vic Larato) (102114)