By Bohol Island News Staff| 05:21 PM November 08, 2019
At least 19 countries now require vaccination certificates from travelers arriving from the Philippines and other countries affected by polio.
According to the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), the countries which now required an International Certificate of Vaccination (ICV) were:
Afghanistan
Belize
Brunei
Georgia
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Jordan
Lebanon
Maldives
Morocco
Oman
Pakistan
Qatar
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saudi Arabia
Seychelles
Ukraine
The requirement had created queues at the BOQ office in Manila, where travelers were lining up to get vaccinated.
While vaccinations were free at the bureau, a P300 fee was needed for the ICV.
Travelers may also get vaccinated in private hospitals or through private doctors. However, only the BOQ was authorized to issue the certificate.
The BOQ also reminded travelers that they needed to get vaccinated four weeks before their travel date, and that complete details needed to be included in their written proof of vaccination.
Since 2014, the WHO has “declared the international spread of wild poliovirus to be a public health emergency of international concern” as the disease could “result in irreversible paralysis” that could affect leg and respiratory muscles.
The virus reemerged in the Philippines in September, nearly 2 decades since the country was declared polio-free.