PHO to immunize over 160K kids vs vaccine-preventable diseases

By John Noel E. Herrera

The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) aims to immunize around 161,566 children aged nine to 59 months against measles and rubella, according to IPHO head Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon.

Aside from measles and rubella, Quiñon said they also aim to vaccinate 188,737 kids against bivalent Oral Polio.

“Ginalikawan ta man nga magka polio ang bata kay karon ma compromise ni kay asta iya nervous system affected kag di makalakat permanently,” she added, noting that the immunization is part of the Department of Health (DOH)-6’s Measles-Rubella – bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR-bOPV SIA) in May 2023.

Quiñon explained that they need to participate in DOH-6’s immunization activity as the province still did not reach the 95 percent vaccination coverage target of the eligible population.

“Tanan na tani naton nga mga bakuna dapat 95 percent na ang coverga for fully immunized children, amo na naga preparar kita nga basi magka-outbreak sa mga ginatawag nga vaccine-preventable diseases,” she added.

The IPHO chief said that a caravan will be held on May 2 – starting from Zarraga, going to Pototan, Barotac Nuevo and Dumangas – as part of the launching of the MR-bOPV SIA in the province.

Quiñon told the public, particularly parents, to join the campaign and encourage their children to get vaccinated against the said diseases as the province also reported an increase in its measles cases this year.

Data from IPHO indicated that the province reported 11 cases of measles/rubella as of April 15, 2023, which is 83 percent higher compared to six cases reported in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, DOH-6 earlier stressed the need to hold the MR-bOPV SIA as they recorded a constant decrease in the number of children being immunized in the region for the past three years.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, the coverage rate of fully immunized children in Western Visayas has decreased from 71.2 percent to 65.68 percent in 2021 and only 50.8 percent in 2022.

DOH-6 added that different health units should focus their immunization campaign strategies on three settings, including house-to-house visits, fixed posts in health facilities, and temporary posts in densely-populated areas like school grounds, parks and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA).