In October 2018, the World Health Organization conducted a study in selected areas in Metro Manila to identify reasons for not bringing their children for immunization. The top reason was fear due to Dengvaxia, which led to increased vaccine hesitancy in the country.

Here we go again. Just three years after the Dengvaxia controversy, is the public more confident about the government’s immunization programs? Records show that vaccination coverage in the Philippines has been steadily declining over the past few years.

In 2018, 12 out of the 17 regions in the country were identified as high-risk areas for polio reemergence. NCR, one of the identified regions with a high-risk of re-infection, shows polio vaccination coverage steadily decreasing from 77.25 percent in 2016 to 23.45 percent in the second quarter of 2019. According to the Department of Health (DoH), at least 95 percent OPV3 coverage is required to produce the herd immunity for protection.

In October 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a study in selected areas in Metro Manila to identify reasons for not bringing their children for immunization. The top reason was fear due to Dengvaxia, which led to increased vaccine hesitancy in the country. This refers to parents who became hesitant to have their children vaccinated with vaccines that were long proven to be effective.

A 2018 study conducted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine versus the same study done in 2015 shows even more disturbing perceptions about vaccines. Respondents’ views that vaccines are important decreased from 93 to 32 percent; that vaccines are safe and effective from 82 percent down to 21 percent and vaccine confidence dropped from 93 to 32 percent.

Another reason perhaps is poor surveillance of polio symptoms, compounded by poor sanitary practices in communities. Although polio can cause paralysis and death, many people who are infected with the virus don’t get sick and aren’t aware they’ve been infected, a Mayo Clinic study says.

Over the past three decades, there have been tremendous progress toward the eradication of polio. In 1988, polio was present in more than 125 countries and paralyzed about 350,000 people every year, mostly young children. The 1988 World Health Assembly set a goal to eliminate the disease, and since then aggressive worldwide immunization efforts reduced the number of cases by more than 99 percent, saving more than 13 million children from paralysis. By the end of 2018, polio was found only in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. The Philippines was declared polio-free in 2000, after the last reported polio case in 1993.

Now, after nearly two decades, polio has resurfaced in the Philippines. I wish I could say that this is merely a step backward. DoH has announced that one case involves a three-year-old girl, and another suspected case is awaiting confirmation.

By the end of 2018, polio was found only in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. The Philippines was declared polio-free in 2000, after the last reported polio case in 1993. Now, after nearly two decades, polio has resurfaced in the Philippines.

Because there are not enough details at this time, many of us are asking a lot of questions. Are there other people who were exposed? There is no cure for polio. So how is the girl infected with the virus cared for? Are safety measures in place to prevent further and fast transfer of the virus? How swiftly is the government and grass root health centers responding to stop this virus from further spreading around the country?

The WHO, UNICEF and Rotary International’s 10 Districts in the Philippines are working closely with the DoH to strengthen surveillance and swiftly respond to this outbreak. The health agency promises to intensify its polio vaccination campaign. They should really intensify their effort to put back the public’s trust in their word, to put the vaccine scandal to bed, so that every parent and caregiver commits fully to participate in efforts to mitigate this disease.

With over 30 years of experience in patient care, healthcare marketing, business development and hospital operations, Marilen Tronqued-Lagniton is a Certified Lead Auditor for ISO 9001:2015. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from St. Theresa’s College in QC, Philippines; completed the MBA for Healthcare Administrators at the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA; Completed the Patient Safety Officer Course, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) & Harvard School of Public Health (T.H. Chan) in Cambridge, MA; Completed the Advanced Leadership Program for C-Suite Leaders, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University (Evanston, IL). Email: mtlagniton@gmail.com