Parents urged to vaccinate children

MANILA, Philippines - Vaccinate your children against measles, rubella and polio, the Department of Health (DOH) has urged parents as it launches its month-long vaccination campaign starting tomorrow.

DOH Undersecretary Janet Garin said fears of side effects should not stop parents from having their children vaccinated.

“It’s actually relative. Some people say that their children develop fever after vaccination while other say there’s no side effect. Why deprive your child of protection against preventable illnesses?” she said.

The DOH is targeting the vaccination against measles of 11 million children aged nine months to below five years and some 13 million newborns up to five years against polio.

DOH - Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) national nurse coordinator Dulce Elfa said they expect to cover 95 percent of their target so that the country could develop “herd immunity,” and prevent future outbreaks.

Records at the DOH - National Epidemiology Center (NEC) showed that only 84 percent of the target children were vaccinated during the supplemental immunization in 2011, the lowest since 1984.

It was in 2011 when the DOH introduced the second-dose vaccine in the EPI that included measles, but not mumps and rubella. 

 Full coverage was not attained due to parents’ hesitance to have their children receive the second dose. This resulted in measles outbreak across the country the following years, including this year.

 Elfa said first-dose vaccine could only provide 85-percent protection.

She assured the pubic that vaccination teams have coordinated with the leaders of religious groups in communities that have beliefs against immunization.