SCALE UP. Local government units, stakeholders and partners meet to discuss the implementation of the routine immunization at the Eagle’s Hotel in San Jose de Buenavista on April 5, 2024. Antique Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) chief Dr. Ric Noel Naciongayo said in an interview on Monday (April 8) that the stakeholders meeting is part of the activity in preparation for the scaling up of the immunization among children in Antique. (PNA photo by Annabel Consuelo J. Petinglay)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – Seven towns in the province of Antique received a total of PHP7 million in fund support from Global Affairs Canada (GAN) in intensifying and scaling up their immunization program, targeting zero to one-year-old children.
The immunization, prioritizing the municipalities of Hamtic, San Remigio, San Jose de Buenavista, Laua-an, Culasi, Libertad and Caluya, with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Relief International as implementing partners, will commence the first week of May.
"Through the program, we intend to raise our immunization accomplishment as we reach more children," Antique Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) chief Dr. Ric Noel Naciongayo said in an interview Monday.
The municipalities have barangays considered geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA), making it difficult for health workers to reach during the routine immunization.
The fund is for the procurement of vaccines and the mobilization and training of health workers.
The masterlisting of unvaccinated children and those with missed immunization is ongoing following a meeting of identified local government units (LGUs) and their implementing partners on April 5, 2024.
IPHO data showed that the province has 7,700 fully immunized children out of the 12,949 eligible children for immunization in 2023.
A fully immunized child (FIC) zero to 12 months old has one dose of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) or tuberculosis vaccine, three doses of pentavalent vaccine, three doses of oral polio vaccine (OPV), and two doses of measles containing vaccines (MCV).
The province ranked third among the provinces and highly urbanized cities with low accomplishment on routine immunization in Western Visayas.
Hamtic has 688 FIC out of 1,017 eligible children; San Remigio has 513 out of 820 eligible children; San Jose de Buenavista has 847 out of 1,235; Laua-an, 367 out of 570; Culasi has 583 out of 972; Libertad with 181 out of 370; and Caluya, has 552 FIC out of 1,175 eligible children.
Naciongayo said that with the intensified immunization, health workers should sweep the barangays to look for targeted children and not just wait at the health stations.
He said that immunization, especially the pentavalent vaccine, could protect the children against pertussis.
"Infants are the most vulnerable population in terms of pertussis and other diseases that they need to get protected through the immunization," Naciongayo said.
He added Antique has nine reported cases of the highly contagious infection. (PNA)
