The Philippine Red Cross has achieved more than its target for the last round of the Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio in Mindanao, immunizing more children against the disabling and life-threatening disease.

Senator Richard J. Gordon, PRC chairman and CEO, said the PRC has reached 128% accomplishment of its target, immunizing 102,567 children against polio instead of its original target of 80,000 children for the last round of the program, which ended on August 2, 2020.

“I commend the staff and volunteers of our chapters in Mindanao who went beyond the call of their duty to achieve this. With the threat of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases emerging while we are engaged in the World War C (World War COVID) because vaccinations have been temporarily placed on hold during the quarantine period, these children have been placed in danger. Thank you for ensuring that more children, more than our target number, will now have immunity against polio,” he said.

The Philippine Red Cross, through its 17 chapters, dispatched 613 volunteers and 43 staff and reached 250 communities in 36 cities and municipalities in Mindanao, with the support of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The last round of polio vaccination program run from July 20 to August 2, 2020.

“I also thank the IFRC and the ICRC for their continued support to the Philippine Red Cross. They are always there whenever we have to deal with all kinds of disasters that hit us,” Gordon said.

The Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio is a vaccination program launched by the Department of Health in October last year in the National Capital Region and Mindanao. The program was conducted in four phases, with the fourth or last phase held recently.