CHO seeks 95% coverage in school vaccination drive

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

ILOILO CITY — The Iloilo City Health Office (CHO) is seeking to increase school immunization coverage and achieve herd immunity against highly contagious vaccine-preventable diseases as it launches its vaccination campaign for public school learners from Oct. 19 to Dec. 13.

Mayette Gabanto, coordinator of the CHO’s National Immunization Program, said the city hopes to improve coverage after failing to reach 95% during the 2025 school-based immunization campaign.

Health authorities, including the World Health Organization, generally cite 95% coverage with two doses of measles-containing vaccine as the level needed to keep measles from spreading in a community.

The program, dubbed Bakuna Eskwela, will provide free vaccines against measles-rubella (MR), tetanus-diphtheria (TD), and human papillomavirus (HPV) to eligible learners.

Grade 1 and Grade 7 learners will receive MR and TD vaccines.

Female learners in Grades 4 and 5 will be offered HPV vaccines to help protect them against cervical cancer.

During the 2025 campaign, 3,308 Grade 1 learners, or 64.58% of the target population, and 3,489 Grade 7 learners, or 47.65%, received MR and TD vaccines.

In the same campaign, 1,744 Grade 4 female learners received HPV vaccines.

This year, the CHO is expanding its HPV vaccination target to include female Grade 5 learners.

Gabanto said the city was hopeful of improving coverage this year, noting that the campaign would run for a longer period.

“We are calling on all parents to support this program. Your consent is the most important protection you can give your children. The vaccines are free, safe and effective,” she said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

Under the program, health workers will assess learners before vaccination, checking for fever and asking about any existing symptoms or relevant medical history to determine whether they can safely receive the vaccines.

Gabanto said only learners with signed parental consent will be vaccinated.

The CHO official identified vaccine hesitancy and misinformation on social media as continuing challenges, saying some parents remain concerned about possible adverse effects.

“The main fear surrounding vaccination is its possible side effects. Some social media posts claim that children became ill or were hospitalized after receiving vaccines. These are among the concerns commonly raised by mothers,” she said.

She urged parents who have questions about vaccine safety to consult their nearest district health centers rather than rely on unverified social media posts.

“Our challenge is that some parents tell us they have seen certain things on social media. We encourage them to visit our district health centers if they have questions, because our health personnel can properly explain the importance of vaccination,” Gabanto said.

She said false information about vaccines remained widespread on social media, making it difficult for health workers to counter misleading claims.

The CHO is intensifying its information campaign in barangays and schools to address misinformation and encourage parental participation.

Although public schools are the primary targets of the campaign, Gabanto said private schools may also request vaccines for their learners by submitting a letter of intent, subject to vaccine availability.