A four-year old girl from Datu Piang in Maguindanao became the third confirmed case of polio in the country, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.

In a statement, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said they confirmed the polio case on the girl, who is a patient of the Cotabato Regional Medical Center.

"On October 24, stool samples sent to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases ? Japan tested positive for vaccine-derived poliovirus 2 (VDPV2)," said Duque.

Duque said the patient was initially diagnosed as a case of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) after showing signs and symptoms, such as fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle pain, last September.

He added the patient did not receive any dose of the oral polio vaccine.

Samples from another suspected case were sent for testing, awaiting results and confirmation, Duque added.

Duque said the health department will conduct a vaccination campaign in Datu Piang from November 4 to 8.

He said the campaign aims to vaccinate a total of 4,254 children aged 0 to 59 months.

“I enjoin all parents and guardians to ensure that all of your children are protected from all vaccine-preventable diseases,” he said.

Last month, the DOH reported two confirmed cases of polio in the country through a three year-old girl from Lanao Del Sur, and a five-year-old boy from Laguna.

This had prompted the health department to declare a polio epidemic, saying that even one case can be considered as an outbreak in a polio-free country. DMS