Why Iloilo Lags in Child Immunization Efforts

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Iloilo province continues to fall short of its 95% Fully Immunized Child (FIC) target due to a combination of geographic barriers, vaccine hesitancy, and a declining birth rate, according to the Iloilo Provincial Health Office.

Latest data show that the province’s FIC rate reached 74% in 2024, slightly up from 69% in 2023 and 63% in 2022, but still below the Department of Health’s (DOH) ideal coverage.

The province posted a 70% FIC rate in 2021 and another 74% in 2020.

Only five of the province’s 43 towns surpassed the 95% immunization target last year:

• San Enrique – 100%
• Cabatuan – 98.66%
• Barotac Nuevo – 97.24%
• Tigbauan – 96.40%
• Miagao – 95.50%

Meanwhile, the five municipalities with the lowest immunization rates were:

• Estancia – 44.22%
• Badiangan – 53.13%
• Bingawan – 53.22%
• Alimodian – 53.84%
• Leon – 55.31%

Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, IPHO head, explained that the province’s high projected child population makes it harder to reach percentage-based targets.

“One factor why we still have a long way to go in achieving a 95% FIC rate target, despite ranking first in the region for the highest FIC percentage, is the high projected population of children,” she said.

She added that the province’s contraceptive prevalence rate already exceeds the national target, meaning fewer births are occurring, and the under-one-year-old population is smaller.

This, she said, makes percentage-based achievements more difficult to reflect accurately.

Dr. Quiñon also said vaccine hesitancy has declined but still lingers among some parents due to personal beliefs.

She noted that geographic challenges remain one of the biggest barriers to achieving universal immunization.

“There are places that are very remote, making it difficult for us and our healthcare workers to reach them,” she said.

“That’s why we continuously campaign for parents to ensure their children get vaccinated, even if it means traveling far to the nearest barangay health station.”

She also urged healthcare workers to proactively visit accessible barangay health stations in distant communities for scheduled vaccinations.

According to the Department of Health, a fully immunized child is an infant who has received one dose of the BCG vaccine for tuberculosis, three doses of the pentavalent vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type B, and hepatitis B, three doses of the oral polio vaccine, and two doses of a measles-containing vaccine before turning one year old.