ILOILO – This province is all set for the measles-rubella and oral polio vaccine supplementary immunization activity (MR-OPV SIA) from May 2 to 31.
Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, head of the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO), said they aim to inoculate 350,303 children, of whom 161,566 aged nine months to 59 months will receive the measles-rubella vaccine and 188,737 aged zero to 59 months will receive the oral polio vaccine.
The IPHO will hold a program launch activity on May 2 in the villages of Badiangan, Dumangas and Pototan.
Before the launch, a caravan will be held to raise public awareness on the MR-OPV SIA.
Route 1 runs from Leganes to Zarraga, Pototan, Barotac Nuevo, and Dumangas towns.
Route 2 is from Oton to Tigbauan, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, and Pavia.
Quiñon said there will be a special program launching on May 4 at the municipal covered gym of Tigbauan.
Former Philippine National Police chief Camilo Cascolan, who is currently serving as undersecretary of the Department of Health (DOH), and officials from the DOH central office and Region 6 will be present.
Quiñon emphasized the importance of immunizing children against measles-rubella and oral polio to avert outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. Its virus is transmitted via droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected persons.
Initial symptoms, which usually appear between 10 and 12 days after infection, include a high fever, a runny nose, bloodshot eyes, and tiny white spots on the inside of the mouth. Several days later, a rash develops, starting on the face and upper neck and gradually spreading downward.
Persons exhibiting symptoms must immediately seek treatment in public health centers or hospitals.
Meanwhile, polio is an illness caused by a virus that mainly affects nerves in the spinal cord or brain stem, according to the Mayo Clinic. In its most severe form, polio can lead to a person being unable to move certain limbs or paralysis. It can also lead to troubled breathing and sometimes death. The disease is also called poliomyelitis.
Most people infected with the virus that causes polio, called poliovirus, don’t get symptoms. About five percent of people with the poliovirus get a mild version of the disease called abortive poliomyelitis. This leads to flu-like symptoms that last two to three days. These include fever, headache, muscle aches, sore throat, stomachache, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting.
“Ginalikawan ta man nga magka-polio ang bata kay karon ma-compromise asta ang nervous system kag basi indi sia kalakat permanently. That is why gina-encourage ang aton mga pumoluyo nga updan kita sa sini nga bulan sang Mayo para sa aton MR OPV SIA,” said Quiñon.
Based on a DOH study, one in 200 polio infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs), and along those paralyzed, five to 10 percent die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.
Polio mainly affects children under five years of age.
Quiñon said those who wish to get immunized can go to their respective rural health units, barangay health stations, maternity clinics, and temporary vaccination posts such as barangay halls, covered courts, convention halls, or in the community designated by the local government units.
Parents or guardians are also being reminded of the possible symptoms that children may experience after receiving the vaccine against measles and rubella.
According to Quiñon, it is normal for a child to have a fever, feels pain and tenderness at the injection site, and have rashes that can last for two weeks.
The palpable symptoms are just the body’s normal reaction to help the body’s immunity./PN
