DOH VI urges vigilance vs polio
Even as the Philippines was certified by the World Health Organization as polio-free, still the Department of Health (DOH) Region VI urged the public not to hold their guard down against the said disease.
"It is not just enough to say that polio has been eradicated in the Philippines, we still need to safeguard public health through high quality Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) Surveillance," Director Lydia S. Ramos of the DOH VI said as she emphasized that Accute Flaccid Paralysis is one of the strategies in polio eradication.
High quality AFP surveillance, Director Ramos said, effectively evaluates the impact of immunization activities.
The DOH VI Director emphasized that AFP is a symptom and not a disease. It is manifested in several diseases such as Paralytic Polio, Guillain Barre Syndrome, Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis, Traumatic Neuritis and Transverse Myelitis.
AFP surveillance aims to identify AFP cases in children 15 years old and below.
She urged all health professionals to report all AFP cases in children to the DOH-Center for Health Development in Western Visayas.
Director Ramos said that in case of an AFP case, concerned health authorities are urged to admit the case in the health facility or hospital; immediately report AFP case to the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit or Provincial Health Office or City Health Office to facilitate investigation; immediately collect two stool specimens; place the stool specimens in any dry, clean and leak proof container; label the stool specimens with the name of the patient, date of collection and onset of paralysis; and store the specimen collected with label in the refrigerator while waiting for the specimen to be picked up by the DOH-CHD Western Visayas personnel.
(PIA/T. Villavert)