Philippine Red Cross | Humanitarian Organization in the Philippines

Senator Richard J. Gordon, Chairman and CEO of the Philippine Red Cross, instructed all Red Cross chapters to coordinate with the Department of Health (DOH) and local health officials and provide full support of volunteers for mass immunization with oral polio vaccine.

This is in response to DOH’s declaration of a polio outbreak in the country, after a 19-year absence of the said poliovirus.

Gordon mobilized the PRC’s 143 volunteers to update the list of all 0-5 -year old children and get their vaccination status and identify the barangay with highest risk based on low vaccination coverage, presence of migrants with unknown vaccination status, and, areas without toilets and limited running water.

“Let’s be vigilant in fighting polio. This is a very dangerous disease that can cause irreversible paralysis. People should not forgo immunization because it is a proven tool for controlling and even eradicating infectious diseases,” said Gordon.

At the same time, the PRC embarked on a massive information campaign against polio reminding mothers to have their children vaccinated for all vaccine preventable diseases in the expanded program of immunization, to boil water, not to defecate in open spaces, and to always wash hands.

“Street food and restaurants need to serve food that is hot, and tighten up food safety regulations and monitoring,” said Gordon.

Poliomyelitis is an infectious disease caused by poliovirus. It is a highly contagious illness that can be transmitted from person to person, through a fecal to mouth route and also throughfood and water contaminated by the virus. Fever, fatigue, headache, stiffness in the neck, vomiting and pain in the limbs are the usual signs and symptoms of an infected person.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) received a 124,067,000 million peso humanitarian contribution from Bloomberry Cultural Foundation Inc. (BCFI) to support PRC’s Dialysis Samaritan Program, 2019 Safe Bood for All and the Capacity Enhancement of the PRC Olongapo Chapter.

“Their donation will surely go a long way in helping the most vulnerable and further strengthening PRC’s humanitarian efforts to uplift human dignity”, said Chairman and CEO Richard Gordon.

The cash grant will be used to sponsor a complete kidney dialysis and care treatment plan for indigent patients with kidney failure, provide indigent and charity patients better access to safe and quality blood, and for the procurement of equipment to enhance the capacity of the Blood Center and Communications Center of the PRC Olongapo Chapter.

The turn over ceremony was attended by BCFI President Donato Almeda, BCFI Executive Director Filipiniana Laureana, Regulatory Affairs Officer Atty. Ellan Mark Pailan, PRC National Blood Services (NBS)Director Dr. Monina Nalupta, and PRC Governor Carissa Coscolluela on September 11 at the 5th Floor of the Senate of the Philippines, Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City.

PRC’s Hemodialysis Center has already performed 1,161 treatments for indigent patients since its operation started on February 11, 2019. The National Blood Services dispensed 244,052 units of blood from January to mid-September of 2019 alone.

PRC Olongapo Chapter is one of the more aggressive chapters and needs equipment to increase its capability to react and respond to emergency situations.

The Philippine Red Cross is always committed to reach out to the helpless and to the most vulnerable.

WASHINGTON, US – The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is awarded the coveted Measles and Rubella Initiative (M&RI) Champion Award during the annual M&RI Partners Meeting on Sept. 11 to 12 for PRC’s successful efforts to address the measles outbreak that struck the country earlier this year.

The M&RI, a global coalition between the American Red Cross, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United Nations Foundation, UNICEF, and World Health Organization, recognized PRC for utilizing community and partners to provide strategic work on measles response activities.

These activities include PRC’s three-pronged approach to the measles outbreak—alleviate the congestion in public hospitals by setting up emergency medical tents, mass vaccination programs in barangay level, and a massive information campaign on the need for and benefits of vaccination.

With the theme “Measles Move Fast, We Must Move Faster,” the annual M&RI partners meeting provides opportunities to share lessons learned, improve coordination, and benefit from new developments in the mission to eliminate measles and rubella globally.

Chairman Richard Gordon said the award mirrors PRC’s success in countering the measles outbreak, which also resulted in restoring the Filipino people’s trust in vaccination.

“The Red Cross played a crucial role in regaining the public’s trust in vaccination. We are extremely grateful for this award, but we know that the battle against measles is far from over. We commit to advocate for continued vaccination and create dialogue in communities to ensure that the welfare of their people is being looked after,” Gordon said.

The award was received by PRC Secretary General Elizabeth Zavalla and PRC Health Services Head Mark Abrigo. Attended by around 130 participants from 30 international organizations, PRC Chairman & CEO, Sen. Richard Gordon is represented by PRC Secretary General Ms. Elizabeth Zavalla and Health Service Manager Mr. Mark Alvin Abrigo. PRC was also given the opportunity to present its accomplishments and approaches to the Measles Outbreak in the Philippines in one of the presentations during the meeting.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), the measles outbreak in the country affected 38,939 individuals, resulting in 529 deaths.

Since the offset of the outbreak, PRC has administered vaccines to 16,956 children in most vulnerable areas and assisted 3,735 patients through its six measles care units.