Vaccines are powerful tools against the polio virus.

All chapters of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) have been instructed to coordinate with the Department of Health and local health officials and provide full support in the mass immunization against the polio virus.

PRC chair and chief executive officer Sen. Richard Gordon said the move is in response to DOH’s declaration of a polio outbreak in the country after a 19-year absence of the virus.

Gordon mobilized 143 PRC volunteers to update the vaccination records of children aged 0 to five years old and identify the barangays (villages) with the highest risk based on low vaccination coverage, presence of migrants with unknown vaccination status and areas without toilets and limited running water.

“Let’s be vigilant in fighting polio. This is a very dangerous disease that can cause irreversible paralysis. People should not forego immunization because it is a proven tool for controlling and even eradicating infectious diseases,” Gordon said.

The PRC likewise embarked on a massive information campaign to remind mothers to have their children vaccinated for all vaccine-preventable diseases and employ safety measures like boiling drinking water, defecating in comfort rooms only and frequent washing of hands especially before and after meals.

“Street food and restaurants need to serve food that is hot and tighten up food safety regulations and monitoring,” Gordon said.

The polio virus can be transmitted from person to person, through a fecal to mouth route and also through food and water contaminated by the virus. Fever, fatigue, headache, stiffness in the neck, vomiting and pain in the limbs are the usual signs and symptoms of an infected person.