DOH extends child vaxx drive as many remain uninoculated

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

 

The Department of Health-Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-WV CHD) on Monday announced that it will extend the Measles-Rubella-Oral Polio Vaccine Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR OPV SIA) by a week as several areas failed to reach their targets.

In a press release, the DOH-WV CHD said the MR OPV SIA will be extended to March 7, 2021 in several municipalities and cities for failure to meet the 95 percent target population.

The extension was based on an advisory issued by DOH Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, chairperson of the department’s National Emergency Operations Center for MR OPV SIA.

The DOH-WV CHD’s data as of Feb. 28, 2021 indicated that a total of 84,541 eligible children remain unvaccinated for MR while the number for OPV is at 116,275.

Breaking down the data of coverage per local government unit (LGU), the remaining number of eligible children who were unvaccinated against MR are:

Iloilo province, 8,986 children;

Negros Occidental, 18,770 children;

Capiz, 9,209 children;

Guimaras, 2,483 children;

Bacolod City, 9,912 children;

Aklan, 12,056 children;

Antique, 13,711 children; and

Iloilo City, 9,414 children.

 

For OPV, the following are the remaining number of unvaccinated eligible children:

Iloilo province, 17,288 children;

Negros Occidental, 27,984 children;

Guimaras, 2,791 children;

Capiz, 12,095 children;

Bacolod City, 12,821 children;

Aklan, 14,653 children;

Iloilo City, 11,200 children; and

Antique, 17,443 children.

In a press conference on the same day, Dr. Daphynie Teorima, Child Health and National Immunization Program Coordinator of the DOH-WV CHD, cited two reasons for the low numbers.

These were the continuous moving in and out of children and families out of provinces and cities, as well as other tasks in DOH-WV CHD, including the increased focus on the eventual roll-out of vaccination for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Teorima said that there will be no new strategies to be implemented in this extension to reach the target populations.

She pointed to the “challenge” of presenting new strategies to the LGUs “who are used to their old ways.

“It was difficult to implement because the LGUs are used to their old ways, so it’s challenging for us to present to them these new strategies. What has been presented to them were our lessons from Phase 1, and they would have to see first the success of the strategies in other areas before they follow,” Teorima said in a press conference.

She said that 131 LGUs in the region have not met the target for the MR OPV SIA. Libacao, Aklan was the LGU with the lowest rate of MR OPV, alluding to an “ongoing insurgency”.

The rest of the LGUs with low numbers of eligible children vaccinated (under 70 percent) are the following:

Malinao, Aklan;

Balete, Aklan;

Kalibo, Aklan;

Altavas, Aklan;

Buruanga, Aklan;

Tobias Fornier, Antique;

Anini-y, Antique;

Belison, Antique;

Sebaste, Antique;

Patnongon, Antique;

Badiangan, Iloilo;

Zarraga, Iloilo; and

San Joaquin, Iloilo.

Teorima said that any further extensions would have to depend on the decision of the DOH central office, upon request by the LGUs.

“LGUs will have to write [to the DOH central office] if they want to extend, but then again, they have to consider the additional logistics and costs to manpower if they were to extend. It would still be better to be simultaneous and finish as one region because if there are still remaining unvaccinated, they can still cause an outbreak,”

Western Visayas remains as the second top region, with an 87.20 percent in MR vaccination and 84.90 percent in OPV.

Region 6 is second to Central Luzon, and ahead of CALABARZON, Eastern Visayas, and Central Visayas, which have had shifting numbers in the past few weeks.

Iloilo remains the top area for coverage for both MR and OP vaccinations, with 94.48 percent for MR and 90.91 percent for OPV.

Negros Occidental is on second place for both MR and OP vaccinations with 91.59 percent for MR and 89.25 percent for OPV.

For MR vaccinations, Capiz is at third with 85.51 percent, followed by Guimaras with 83.74 percent, Bacolod City with 80.27 percent, Aklan with 76.20 percent, and Antique with 75.96, and Iloilo City with 74.99 percent.

As to OPV, Guimaras is at third with 86.16 percent, followed by Capiz with 83.67 percent, Bacolod City with 78.11 percent, Aklan with 75.17 percent, Iloilo City with 74.54 percent, and Antique with 73.82 percent.

Teorima explained that the reason for varying numbers between MR and OP vaccinations was because of the age of eligibility.

The eligibility for children undergoing MR vaccination is from 9 to 59 months, while OPV is at 0 to 59 months.

“For OPV, normally immunization starts at 6 weeks old, and followed at 10 and 14 weeks later on. In our campaign, in this case, we start at birth because we have Polio outbreaks in Mindanao and Luzon,” she explained.

The top 20 LGUs in the region for MR OPV (percentage of the target population) are:

Lemery, Iloilo (107.36 percent);

Murcia, Negros Occidental (106.85 percent);

Dueñas, Iloilo (104.40 percent);

Concepcion, Iloilo (103.75 percent);

Barotac Viejo, Iloilo (103.69 percent);

Batad, Iloilo (102.63 percent);

Tigbauan, Iloilo (102.31 percent);

Nabas, Aklan (102.14 percent);

Sara, Iloilo (101.68 percent);

Mina, Iloilo (101.08 percent);

Talisay City, Negros Occidental (100.17 percent);

Sagay City, Negros Occidental (100.06 percent);

Cabatuan, Iloilo (99.81 percent);

Lambunao, Iloilo (99.54 percent);

Banate, Iloilo (99 percent);

Candoni, Negros Occidental (98.94 percent);

La Castellana, Negros Occidental (97.85 percent);

Cadiz City, Negros Occidental (97.41 percent);

Passi City (97.32 percent); and

Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo (97.08 percent).

Teorima clarified that these LGUs, and other LGUs which have reached the target, may also choose to join the extension of the MR OPV SIA.