All is set for the third round of the polio immunization campaign come January 20 until February 2, 2020.

Meanwhile fourth and fifth rounds of the same vaccine are also scheduled, this time for another strain of the polio virus recorded in Basilan and the nearby country of Malaysia.

The third round of polio immunization will be for the Monovalent Oral Polio Vaccine (mOPV) while the 4th and 5th rounds will be for the Bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine (bOPV).

Monovalent oral poliovirus vaccine type 1 is a type-specific, live, attenuated oral poliovirus vaccine that protects against poliovirus type 1.

Bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine is a live, attenuated oral poliovirus vaccine that protects against poliovirus types 1 and 3.

Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease. It is caused by the poliovirus. The virus spreads from person to person and can invade an infected person’s brain and spinal cord, causing paralysis.

Mati CHO said that all 26 barangays in the city will be covered by the designated teams that will be dispatched to make a house-to-house vaccination starting Monday, January 20.

Each teams will be composed of midwife, DOH personnel, nurse, Red Cross personnel, and volunteer nursing students.

In the fourth and fifth rounds, Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine will be given to 0-59months after 28 days of Monovalent Oral Polio vaccine dose.

The fourth and fifth rounds of Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine are scheduled on February 17 to March 1, 2020 and March 23 to April 5, 2020. (CIO MATI)