Davao City: The Davao City Health Office (CHO) has extended the 4th round of the Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio to March 6 to immunize more children against poliomyelitis.
Dr. Josephine Villafuerte, the head of CHO, said the extension was suggested by the Department of Health (DOH) after reports of an increasing number of polio cases in the country.
She said the country has recorded 28 cases prompting the DOH to extend the 4th round of the immunization.
“We extended the immunization because there are about 27 or 28 polio cases on the country. Before we are just talking about 16 to 17 cases, now it has gone (up). We wanted to protect the children from all strains,” Villafuerte said.
Villafuerte, however, pointed out that the city still has zero-polio case.
“Davao City remains to be polio-free, the environment examination on our water has turned out to be negative,” she said.
The city has already surpassed the 100-percent target for the type 1 and 3 polio vaccines.
On March 1, the CHO recorded a 101.65-percent coverage, or 189,951 children aged zero to 59 months covered by the oral polio immunization. CIO