More moms now bring kids for vaccination: DOH official

An official of the Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday said there had been an improvement in the vaccine hesitancy among parents during the agency's continuous immunization drive against measles.

"Nakakalungkot talaga na nagkaroon ng ganitong outbreak dahil maraming nagkakasakit at namamatay pero at least naging aware talaga ang mga nanay na dalhin ang kanilang mga anak sa mga health center para pabakunahan (It is sad that there's an outbreak like this because many get sick and die but at least mothers are now aware in bringing their children to health centers for vaccination)," Director Corazon Flores, DOH National Capital Region Center for Health Development, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview.

Vaccine hesitancy is a scenario where mothers become hesitant to have their children immunized with vaccines that were long proven to be effective.

Flores said DOH has observed that more mothers are lining up in health centers in the past days to have their children vaccinated.

"Marami nang napabakunahan ngayong linggong ito as of yesterday, nakakaabot na po kami ng almost 100,000 na nababakunahan (As of yesterday, we were able to vaccinate many children, we've reached almost 100,000 vaccinees)," she said. There are still a few mothers who refuse to vaccinate their children, Flores added. "Doon sa 100,000 less than a hundred lang ang umayaw sa bakuna pero talagang nag-improve na ang sitwasyon at maraming pumipila sa health centers natin. Ineencourage parin namin ang mga magulang na tumatanggi, sinasabi namin na nagbibigay ang ng proteksyon, iyan ay proven and tested nang mahabang panahon (Among the 100,000 only less than a hundred refused the vaccines but the situation has really improved as many line up at our health centers. We still encourage those who refuse, we advise that vaccines give protection, it has been proven and tested for a long time)," she said.

During a press briefing at the Payatas B Health Center in Quezon City on Tuesday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said he is happy to see parents "having a change of view on the DOH’s immunization program".

He added that health centers were hardly visited by parents earlier.