Manila, Philippines, Sep 24, 2019 / 23:03 pm
A Catholic bishop in the Philippines called for a strong response from the government to fight poliovirus, following an announcement last week from health officials that the once-eradicated disease has made a reappearance.
"It is very sad that there is a re-emergence of polio after having eliminated it for many years," Bishop Broderick Pabillo, auxiliary bishop of Manila, said in an article published by the country's Catholic bishop's conference.
"This tells us that we should not let down our guard in fighting diseases," he said.
The Philippines had been polio-free for almost 20 years, but last week, national health officials confirmed the poliovirus in two children, ages 5 and 3, in two different provinces.