Polio outbreak in the Philippines

On 19 September 2019, an outbreak of polio was declared in the Philippines. Children in the Philippines are at risk of lifelong paralysis because of this outbreak.

The Philippine Department of Health and partners are working together on a comprehensive outbreak response, including mass polio immunization rounds from October 2019. All children, regardless of whether they are covered by the mass immunization campaign or not, should be vaccinated according to the routine immunization schedule. 

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is supporting the Philippine Government’s response. The GPEI is a public-private partnership led by national governments with five partners – the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Its goal is to eradicate polio worldwide.

WHO is providing technical advice on the outbreak response, on-the-ground monitoring and support for risk communication.