DOH to vaccinate 2.7 M children against measles, rubella

Some 2.7 million children are being targeted by the Department of Health (DOH) to be immunized against measles-rubella (MR) and polio in the next three days.

These children have yet to be covered by the ongoing Phase 2 of the DOH’s Measles-Rubella and Oral Polio Vaccine Supplemental Immunization Activities or MR-OPV SIA.

Of the 2.7 million children, 1.29 million will be given oral polio vaccine (OPV), according to Beverly Ho, chief of the DOH-disease prevention and control bureau.

Ho said the goal was to vaccinate some 4.7 million children against polio, but only 3.4 million or 72.9 percent have been inoculated so far.

The rest of the 1.37 million children are up for MR vaccination. The target is to immunize 5.1 million children but only 3.7 million or 73 percent have been accomplished.

The DOH started the MROPV SIA Phase 2 on Feb. 1 and will end it on Feb. 28.

This is a follow up to Phase 1 conducted in October last year.

“During the first round, we are happy to report that we had a 92 percent accomplishment and that was actually good because we are in a pandemic,” Ho said.

For the second round of the campaign, the DOH managed to inoculate 72 percent of the target recipients.

The MR vaccination covers the National Capital Region, Calabarzon (Cavite Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Central Luzon as well as the Visayas.

The OPV campaign was implemented in Calabarzon, Central Luzon and the Visayas.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III urged local government units to assure mothers that the country’s health centers are safe places where they can get their children vaccinated.

“As long as we are able to comply with our minimum public health standards, as well as the protocols of the health centers, we can be protected from COVID-19,” Duque said.

Ho said that vaccinators were not able to conduct immunization activities in barangays that were under lockdown.

She stressed the importance for children to be immunized against these diseases, especially since the pandemic is not yet over.