CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Butuanon River, Tipolo River, and Mahiga Creek are off limits to the public after the Department of Health’s Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM), found that the water tested positive for the poliovirus. 

Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes said in a statement on Sunday, February 16: “While it’s most unfortunate that this news came at the time when we are still reeling from the effectis of COVID-2019, it is good that we knew of this earliest in order for us to align our time and resources to address this concern. Secondly, we will declare the Butuanon, Mahiga and Tipolo Rivers and its tributaries off limits to the general population.” 



Cortes met with Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella on Monday, February 17, to address the threat. 



In the early days of Labella’s term, he had already ordered clean-up drives of the Mahiga Creek, as the creek is frequently a cause of flooding due to garbage build-up.

In 2015, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources put the Butuanon River on its list of worst rivers in the Philippines due to its pollution.


According to a report in SunStar Cebu, the DENR had already declared the river “biologically dead” as early as 1992 due to the amount of industrial waste and untreated waste-water dumped by thousands of informal settlers who live on the sides ofthe waterway. 


The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed a new case of polio on Saturday, February 15. Poliomyelitis or polio is a highly contagious disease caused by poliovirus entering the nervous system. 



The poliovirus, which usually enters through the feces of an infected person, can live in feces for many weeks and can contaminate food and water in unsanitary conditions.

This brings the total number of polio cases in the country to 17 since the outbreak was declared in September 2019.



The DOH has been conducting an intensified anti-polio vaccination drive since the outbreak began. 

Locally, Cortes said that they would “ramp up” their vaccination campaign for children and residents near the rivers, along with information on disease prevention. – Rappler.com