Makati City, 2 September 2005. Fearing the spread of the poliovirus from Indonesia, the Philippines Department of Health (DOH), with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organization (WHO), has launched two rounds of “Polio Special Immunization Days” in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on 30 August and 26 September.

The immunization rounds, both running for two weeks, will synchronize with the nationwide polio vaccination campaigns in Indonesia, which recently recorded a large polio outbreak.

Since March, 226 children in Indonesia have been paralyzed due to poliovirus imported into the country.

The Indonesian outbreak is threatening border countries across the region, especially the Philippines, Malaysia and China.

“Even though the Western Pacific Region was declared polio-free in October 2000, importation of polio is still possible because the whole world is not yet polio-free,” Dr. Nicholas Alipui, UNICEF Country Representative in the Philippines, said.

Alipui added, “As long as there is polio anywhere, somewhere in the world, no nation can be truly polio-free.”

UNICEF Philippines is providing assistance worth P9.5 million for the DOH campaign.

The amount will cover the costs of oral polio vaccines, guides and forms for vaccinators, and assessment of the campaign.

The special immunization campaign in the Philippines aims to protect over 600,000 underfive children in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao and Zamboanga City.

Due to their proximity to Indonesia, these areas are at high-risk for being the entry point of the poliovirus.

According to the World Health Organization, global immunization efforts have reduced the number of polio cases worldwide from 350,000 annually to 1,110 cases in 2005 (as of 24 August).

However, six countries remain endemic for polio: Nigeria; India; Pakistan; Afghanistan; Niger; and, Egypt. Poliovirus continues to spread to previously polio-free countries.

Maintaining high polio immunization rates and disease surveillance are necessary to maintain a country’s polio-free status.

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For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Dale Rutstein
UNICEF Manila, 901 0177 or 0917 866 4969, drutstein@unicef.org
Alexis Rodrigo
UNICEF Manila, 901 0173 or 0917 858 9447, arodrigo@unicef.org