BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Health is set to intensify its campaign against Polio in the Cordillera with the regional launching of the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) switch and Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) set this April 27 at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center Under 5 Clinic.
Joyce Rillorta of DOH Cordillera in the April 7 Kapihan sa Baguio said that during the regional launching, all the children scheduled for their third OPV dose at the Under – 5 Clinic will also be injected with IPV.
Rillorta explained that the DOH campaign against polio now involves three doses of OPV and the vaccination of the IPV to be given to the child simultaneous with the third OPV dose at 3 ½ months old.
IPV plus OPV provides children with the best protection from Polio wherein the OPV (given orally) will give protection in the mouth, intestines, and blood, while the IPV (an injectable vaccine) that provides protection in the blood further strengthens the protection given by OPV against polio.
IPV is approved by the WHO and is proven safe and effective and has been successfully used in polio eradication in other countries, Rillorta said.
DOH reiterates that there is no cure for polio but along with other childhood disease, it can be prevented by vaccination. (JDP/CCD/J. Panelo & D. Regalado-PIA Interns)
