Brothers and sisters, after 19 years of the Philippines being polio-free, the Department of Health has recorded one confirmed case of polio in the province of Lanao del Sur. A second case was then recorded in Laguna. Polio was found positive in samples of water examined by DOH from the cities of Manila and Davao. One case of polio is enough for DOH to declare an epidemic of an infectious and dangerous disease, which is sad because this disease can be prevented by vaccine.
In February, an outbreak of measles was declared in certain regions. According to DOH records, the number of cases of measles in the country reached almost 40,000, causing the death of more than 500 people. The Philippines was one of countries with major measles outbreaks in the world. Again, this could have been avoided if the victims, particularly children, were vaccinated ahead of time.
Meanwhile, the rampant dengue epidemic continues in the country. From January to June this year, 146,000 dengue cases have been recorded, and not less than 600 people have died. Some say this could have been averted if the vaccine Dengvaxia wasn’t politicized. But it is clear that the spread of measles and the return of polio could have been avoided if parents didn’t fear having their children vaccinated. It’s alarming to see the declining rate of children taking vaccinations because of parents fearing about the safety of their children. Sadly, vaccination has become a controversial topic, with some officials even escalating the heat about the vaccine against dengue. These officials insist that Dengvaxia is the cause of deaths among children who got these vaccines despite the absence of sufficient proof.
The spread of diseases that can be prevented not only through maintaining cleanliness in our environment but also through our trust in science, instead of people who aren’t experts in the field of public health, is quite worrying.
But we are now here in this situation, and pointing fingers and passing blame without clear direction aren’t helpful at all. We are sure that the DOH is doing everything it can to take control of the situation. Our hardworking health workers continue to do their job, visiting communities and trying to convince parents to have their children vaccinated against measles and polio. The effort of local governments to help eradicate the spread of dengue through the cleaning of areas inhabited by mosquitoes is admirable. But let this serve as a reminder that all of us have a role to play in helping prevent dreadful diseases.
If the services that ensure the health of the people are properly delivered, we may say that the government truly gives importance to the life and dignity of man, the foundation of talks in regards to public health if we use the scope of the social teachings of the Church. The right to live comes first for an individual, and it is accompanied by the right to attain any help in maintaining his or her well-being, like having sufficient health care. If the people can acquire their rights in proper health care, we are enabled to take care of our bodies, as it is said in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.”
Brothers and sisters, apart from asserting our rights to proper health services, we all need to cooperate and do our share in helping ensure the health of all Filipinos.
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