DOH-7 records 23 ‘polio-like’ Acute Flaccid Paralysis cases, one death in CV

Cebu had remained polio free. | CDND File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DoH-7) has already recorded 23 cases of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) with one death for the months of January to September this year. 

Mark Gil Zafra, vaccine preventable diseases coordinator of the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU)-7, said that 16 of the 23 AFP cases were found to be non-polio related while the seven others are yet to be classified.

Acute Flaccid Paralysis is considered a rare but serious condition that affects the nervous system, specifically the area of the spinal cord. The “polio-like” condition causes the muscles and the body’s reflexes to become weak.

Dr. Van Phillip Baton, DOH-7 medical officer, said that AFP, if not treated immediately, could lead to more serious diseases like polio. But he could not say what actually caused the death of one of the 23 AFP-infected individuals.

Records from DOH-7 show that the 23 AFP infected individuals were aged between four months to 32 years old.

Zafra said that AFP cases have been referred to the Research Institute of Tropical Diseases (RITM) in Manila to determine if the affected patient manifest the symptoms of polio.

Test results can be made available in two weeks.

Zafra said that the seven of the 23 reported AFP cases will still be made to undergo further testing at the RITM. He said that of the seven recorded cases, one of the patients failed to submit the number of specimens required for laboratory testing while the second one failed to submit any specimens.

“Two of the pending cases will undergo an AFP-Expert Meeting Panel (EMP) for classification,” Zafra said.

DOH earlier declared a polio outbreak after a 3-year-old girl from Lanao del Sur was tested positive of the disease.  Two other samples were also found positive of the polio virus during the environmental monitoring conducted in Manila.

This was the first time in the last 19 years that the country recorded polio cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the country polio-free in 2000.

Baton assured that Cebu has remained polio-free. The last recorded polio case was in 1993 yet.

To prevent a possible spread of the polio virus here, Baton said that they will be intensifying their polio immunization campaign in coordination with the Local Government Units (LGUs).

“We are also encouraging parents not to skip the vaccination schedule of their children and to bring their children to health centers,” Baton said. / dcb