ONE month into its campaign, the Department of Health (DOH) remains nowhere near the 95 percent immunization rate target for Grades 1 and 7 students in public schools nationwide.
DOH spokesman Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy admitted that they have not even reached half of the target rate of the government in vaccinating students versus measles-rubella (MR) and tetanus-diphtheria (TD).
“Malayo pa talaga tayo sa gusto nating level na ngayon ngunit naniniwala naman tayo na may oras pa naman,” said Lee Suy.
Out of the 2.5 million Grade 1 students, only 407,757 (17 percent) have been vaccinated against measles, and 553,319 (22 percent) against TD.
As for the 1.8 million Grade 7 students, the health department said that only 391,077 (21 percent) were given MR vaccines, and 391,813 (21 percent) against TD.
The figures almost doubled compared to the turnout released in mid-August, which had already prompted the DOH to extend the program to the end of September instead of just being a month-long campaign.
The DOH attributed the continued lukewarm response of the public to the immunization campaign to the month of August being a season for examinations in schools.
Lee Suy also pointed the negative effect of the hoax reports that the DOH distributed expired deworming tablets during the National School Deworming Day program after hundreds of students in Zamboanga Peninsula were rushed to hospitals after experiencing stomach aches.
In a statement, DOH Secretary Janette Garin called on parents anew to let their children be vaccinated.
“These vaccines will provide life-long immunity against tetanus and diphtheria and will help reduce sickness and death due to measles and rubella,” said Garin.
The health chief noted how immunization can avert about two to three million deaths from diphtheria, tetanus, and measles, rubella (german measles) every year.
She also reiterated that the vaccines provided by the DOH have been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). (HDT/Sunnex)