WHO declares end of polio outbreak in PH
CNN Philippines,—The polio outbreak in the Philippines has ended, global health authorities announced on Friday, almost two years after the disease reemerged in the country.
In a joint statement, the World Health Organization and UNICEF confirmed that the country’s outbreak response wrapped up on June 3 — as the agencies lauded the Philippine government’s efforts to contain the infectious disease.
“The decision came as the virus has not been detected in a child or in the environment in the past 16 months and is a result of comprehensive outbreak response actions including intensified immunization and surveillance activities in affected areas of the country,” WHO and UNICEF said.
Polio reemerged in the Philippines in September 2019— 19 years after the country was cleared of the disease — when the Department of Health confirmed a single reported case of polio.
A single confirmed case in a polio-free nation automatically calls for a declaration of an outbreak, the DOH earlier explained.
Health authorities said there is no cure for polio, which causes nerve injury leading to possible paralysis. A disease which can be fatal on rare occasions, polio can only be prevented through multiple doses of vaccines. The polio virus is typically transmitted through the fecal-oral route.
This story is breaking and will be updated. By CNN Philippines Staff
