DOLE-6 asks employers to give parents time for measles shots

By Mariela Angella Oladive

ILOILO CITY – Private-sector employers in Western Visayas are being encouraged to accommodate workers who need to attend to their young children during the government’s measles-rubella vaccination campaign.

The Department of Labor and Employment-Western Visayas (DOLE-6), through an advisory issued in relation to Labor Advisory No. 2, series of 2026, said employers should make arrangements for employees with children ages 6 to 59 months to participate in the Department of Health’s Measles-Rubella Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR-SIA).

The advisory also covers employees who need to care for their children following possible vaccine reactions.

“Upon resuming work, the concerned employee shall present proof of vaccination,” the advisory stated.

Employees may also use their available leave credits during the MR-SIA, subject to company policy or collective bargaining agreements.

DOLE-6 encouraged employers to help promote the vaccination drive by providing information about measles-rubella vaccines and coordinating with local government health offices on scheduled immunization activities.

Companies with existing workplace immunization programs are also encouraged to hold MR-SIA activities in their own workplaces.

These may include setting up temporary vaccination posts and assigning occupational health personnel to vaccination teams.

DOLE-6 said its regional office will also promote the importance of immunization through enforcement activities and participation in the nationwide information campaign against measles, rubella, and polio.

The MR-SIA is part of the government’s effort to close immunization gaps and prevent outbreaks of measles and rubella among young children.

The campaign aims to reach at least 95% of the eligible population to provide stronger community protection against the diseases.

The push follows years of uneven routine immunization coverage in the country, which contributed to a nationwide measles outbreak in 2019 that killed hundreds of people, most of them children under 5.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause fever, rash, and serious complications, particularly among young children.

Rubella is generally mild in children but can cause serious birth defects when a woman is infected during pregnancy.

Health authorities said the vaccines are free, safe, and effective, and that eligible children are encouraged to receive the supplemental dose regardless of their previous vaccination status.

The MR-SIA is being conducted nationwide from Aug. 10 to 28.

In Western Visayas, 71,395 children, or 41.4% of the region’s 408,114 target, had been vaccinated as of 10 p.m. Aug. 18, according to the MR-SIA VaccTrack Dashboard.

Capiz posted the highest vaccination coverage among the provinces at 49.9%, followed by Iloilo at 42.2%, Antique at 42.1%, Guimaras at 37%, and Aklan at 34.6%.

Iloilo City recorded 33% coverage.