(Eagle News) — The Department of Health has confirmed a fourth case of polio in the Philippines since the disease’s resurgence in the country after 19 years.
In a statement, the DOH said the fourth case was from Mindanao.
The agency did not elaborate.
According to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, the fourth case was confirmed following a test conducted by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan.
At present, Duque said the DOH was implementing a vaccination campaign aimed at children below five years old in the municipalities where the fourth and the third case, a 4-year-old girl from Datu Piang town in Maguindanao, were confirmed.
The DOH said the next round of vaccinations will cover the whole of Mindanao and is scheduled from Nov. 25 to Dec. 8.
The first case of polio that led to a resurgence of the disease in the country after decades was a 3-year-old girl from Morogong, Lanao del Sur.
The second case involved a 5-year-old boy from Calamba, Laguna.
