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DOH-9 marks 60% vax rate vs. measles-rubella, polio in 2 weeks

By Teofilo Garcia, Jr.

May 16, 2023, 8:00 pm

ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Department of Health-Zamboanga Peninsula (DOH-9) logged a 60 percent vaccination rate for the first two weeks in its Measles-Rubella and bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine Supplemental Immunization Activities (MR-OPV SIA).

The campaign aims to vaccinate children aged nine to 59 months old against measles-rubella, and those zero to 59 months old with OPV because they are vulnerable to the vaccine-preventable diseases.

Dr. Joshua Brillantes, DOH-9 director, said Tuesday that 223,782 or 60 percent of the total 374,081 eligible population have been vaccinated against measles.

Likewise, 40,640 or 68 percent of the total 59,338 eligible population were given bOPV.

“Not all areas are part of the bOPV SIA. The selection is based on the coverage of routine immunization and the risk for the possible emergence of outbreaks,” Brillantes said.

He encouraged parents and guardians to have their eligible children to be vaccinated in the MR-bOPV SIA campaign to prevent the risk of complications of vaccine-preventable diseases and the reemergence of outbreaks.

“With your help and cooperation, we can save our children, the future of our country from vaccine-preventable diseases,” Brillantes said, adding that the vaccines are safe and effective.

DOH-9 aims to vaccinate 768,792 children against MR and polio during the supplemental immunization activities that started May 2 and will end May 31.

The region’s goal is to immunize 354,774 children aged 9 months to 59 months with MR shots, while 414,018 children aged zero to 59 months will be administered the bOPV. 

Meanwhile, in Cebu City, DOH Central Visayas has sought the help of three major malls to help the agency to push to bolster its vaccination campaign against measles, rubella and polio.

Dr. Joan Antonette Albito, head of the Department of Health (DOH)-Central Visayas' family health section, said the three malls – SM Seaside, SM City, and Robinsons Galleria – have committed spaces for the “Chikiting Ligtas” program of the government.

Albito admitted that the high heat index in Cebu was among the reasons for the low turnout of the vaccination program in the barangay or rural health units.

She said that local health workers and volunteers deployed by the DOH central and regional offices would usually wait for mothers to bring their children to the health centers for the vaccines.

Also, vaccinators would usually go out only in the afternoon to conduct a house-to-house immunization, in geographically displaced areas that can be accessed only on foot.

With the participation of three major malls in the city, the health official was hopeful that they would be able to accomplish their goals of registering at least 37,000 children to get vaccinated in the next 10 days.

The DOH-7 has been in constant communication with the LGUs and non-government organizations, underscoring the need to have more than 700,000 eligible population covered against rubella, measles, and polio diseases, to prevent an “impending outbreak.”

In October last year, the agency said the Philippines may face a measles outbreak by 2023 if the vaccination coverage of children would not improve. (PNA)

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