DOH: More vaccines for health centers

To save more Filipino children from “killer diseases,” the government is providing more vaccines to public health centers nationwide for the immunization of children under two years old.

Dr. Yolanda Oliveros, chief of the Department of Health’s National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, announced yesterday that the government is expanding the coverage of the routine immunization campaign.

“With the increased budget for next year, the DOH is setting a 100-percent hepatitis B vaccine coverage for all newly born children and we will also be giving out additional dose of anti-measles vaccine,” she said.

At present, Oliveros said the government can only provide hepatitis vaccines for 40 percent of the newborn population due to limited financial resources.

During the routine immunization, the government is also providing only one dose of anti-measles vaccine.

“Since the DOH budget for immunization is increasing from P316 million to P446 million next year, we are giving an additional dose of anti-measles vaccine for free,” Oliveros said.

She said the government is also considering the possibility of providing free pneumococcal vaccines as well as vaccines for rubella and Japanese encephalitis during the routine immunization.

Oliveros said the government hopes to provide more free vaccines to young children since it has proven to be effective in preventing the spread of infectious and potentially fatal diseases.

She said the Philippines has committed to become measles-free by 2008 but it would unlikely achieve that goal.

“We have already recorded 101 confirmed cases of measles so it would be very unlikely for us to be declared measles-free by 2008 but we are working to achieve the goal by 2012,” she said.

Dr. Enrique Tayag, DOH-National Epidemiology Center chief and Philippine Foundation for Vaccination president, said many Filipino children could have been saved from death if they were given full immunization.

Thus, Tayag said their foundation is encouraging schools nationwide to participate in the government’s immunization campaign.

He said some medical and allied schools are now requiring students taking up health-related courses to get full immunization to avoid acquiring infection while treating patients.