DOH 7 data shows Central Visayas reached only 21.7 percent coverage in its measles-rubella campaign as of Aug. 29, 2026, leaving 493,172 target children unreached.
Mandaue health officials cited social media misinformation, resident refusal, threats, and guard dogs as challenges to door-to-door vaccination efforts attempting to reach the 95 percent target.
Health authorities are investigating the Aug. 24 death of a seven-month-old infant in Dumanjug as an Adverse Event Following Immunization, though no causal link to the vaccine is established.
NEARLY eight in 10 target children in Central Visayas have yet to receive the supplemental measles-rubella vaccine, leaving health authorities with almost 500,000 children to reach.
Data released by the Department of Health (DOH) 7 on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026, showed that 137,042 of the region’s 630,214 target children aged six to 59 months had been vaccinated as of 10:01 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29. This translates to 21.7 percent coverage, with 493,172 children still unreached by the supplemental campaign.
The scheduled intensive phase of the Measles-Rubella Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR-SIA) ran from Aug. 10 to 28. DOH 7 Local Health Support Division chief Dr. Van Philip Baton said local government units may continue catch-up or mop-up vaccination through Sept. 4.
Where vaccination coverage stands
Cebu Province — excluding the tri-cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu — accounts for more than half of the children who have yet to receive the supplemental dose, with 265,945 still unreached. The province vaccinated 70,461 of its 336,406 target children, or 20.9 percent.
Bohol Province reached 27,569 of 123,512 children, for 22.3 percent coverage, leaving 95,943 unreached.
As for Cebu City, it posted the lowest coverage among the five areas at 18.4 percent, with 16,636 of 90,604 target children vaccinated. Another 73,968 children remained unreached.
Lapu-Lapu City vaccinated 13,394 of its 48,856 target children, or 27.4 percent, leaving 35,462 children.
Mandaue City had the highest DOH-reported coverage at 29.1 percent. It vaccinated 8,982 of the DOH target of 30,836 children, leaving 21,854 unreached.
The regional figures remain far below the government’s goal of vaccinating at least 95 percent of eligible children under the supplemental campaign.
Different reported rates in Mandaue
Mandaue’s latest 29.1 percent coverage should be distinguished from figures earlier reported by the Mandaue City Health Office because the city and the DOH have used different target populations.
On Aug. 28, Mandaue City Health Officer Dr. Debra Maria Catulong said the city had reached 37 percent based on its master list of 21,849 eligible children. Using the DOH-computed target of 30,836 children, however, the city’s coverage at the time was only 26 percent.
The DOH 7 figure released Sunday used the same 30,836-child DOH target but reflected a later vaccination count. By the evening of Aug. 29, the number vaccinated had increased to 8,982, raising coverage under the DOH denominator to 29.1 percent.
The different percentages therefore do not necessarily represent conflicting counts. The 37 percent figure came from Mandaue’s smaller master list, while the DOH percentages were calculated using its larger target population.
Both measures, however, showed Mandaue remained far from the 95 percent target.
Catulong cited vaccine misinformation circulating on social media as one factor behind the low turnout. Health workers conducting house-to-house vaccination have also encountered resistance, including residents refusing to open their doors, making verbal threats and, in some cases, allegedly releasing guard dogs.
Reason for another MR dose being given
The MR-SIA is called a supplemental immunization activity because it is conducted in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, the government’s routine childhood vaccination program. It is a mass vaccination campaign designed to reach children who may have missed routine doses and to provide added protection to those already vaccinated.
The campaign covers all children aged six to 59 months regardless of their previous measles-rubella vaccination status, unless vaccination is medically contraindicated. Giving the additional dose helps close immunity gaps in the population and reduces the number of children susceptible to measles and rubella, lowering the risk of outbreaks.
This means children receiving the supplemental MR vaccine should not be considered previously unvaccinated. Some may already have received their scheduled MR doses through routine immunization; the MR-SIA provides an additional dose as part of the wider campaign.
The campaign follows an increase in measles and rubella cases nationwide in 2025. DOH data showed 5,159 cases from Jan. 1, 2025, to Jan. 3, 2026, up 32 percent from 3,901 during the comparable previous period. About 73 percent of the cases involved people who had not been vaccinated.
Measles, locally known as tipdas, is a highly contagious viral disease that can spread through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. Common symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and rash.
The disease can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia, severe diarrhea, blindness and encephalitis, or swelling of the brain. Severe cases can result in death.
Rubella, also called German measles or tipdas-hangin, usually causes milder illness, including fever and rash. It poses a particular danger during pregnancy because infection, especially early in pregnancy, can result in miscarriage, fetal death or congenital rubella syndrome. Babies with the syndrome can develop hearing, eye, heart and developmental problems.
The World Health Organization recommends two doses of a measles-containing vaccine. One dose provides substantial protection against measles, while protection increases after the second dose. A single rubella vaccine dose provides more than 95 percent long-lasting immunity.
What is known about the infant’s death
The vaccination campaign has also faced concerns following the death of a seven-month-old infant in Dumanjug, Cebu, on Aug. 24, two weeks after the child received an MR vaccine.
The Dumanjug Primary Care Facility (PCF) said the infant had previously been treated for acute gastroenteritis without dehydration on July 9 and recovered.
Before the child received the MR vaccine on Aug. 10, health personnel conducted an assessment, recorded the infant’s vital signs and obtained the caregiver’s consent. A nurse administered the vaccine and gave post-vaccination advice, according to the facility.
The child began experiencing diarrhea and vomiting on Aug. 23. The PCF said its fact-finding showed that metronidazole was given at home as self-medication. The symptoms persisted, and the infant developed a fever the following morning.
The caregivers brought the child to the primary care facility at around 2:40 p.m. Aug. 24. The facility said it is verifying the sequence of events that followed, including the medical assistance, referral and transportation provided before the child’s death.
On Aug. 25, the Municipal Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit reported the case to the DOH Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit as an Adverse Event Following Immunization (Aefi).
An Aefi is a medical event that occurs after vaccination. Being classified as an Aefi does not mean that a vaccine caused an illness, injury or death. Investigators must determine whether there is a causal relationship, whether another medical condition was responsible or whether the event occurred coincidentally after vaccination.
Representatives of the DOH, Cebu Provincial Health Office and Dumanjug Municipal Health Office met at the facility on Aug. 27 to investigate the case, meet with the family and monitor other children vaccinated during the same period.
Water samples were also taken from the child’s household for analysis.
Health authorities have not established a causal connection between the MR vaccine and the infant’s death. DOH 7 has said a formal Aefi investigation is underway and that verified findings will be released once the investigation is completed.
Amid the investigation, health authorities have urged parents not to stop vaccinating their children based on unverified information. DOH 7 has warned that declining immunization leaves more children vulnerable to diseases and their complications.
“The risk of these complications is devastatingly higher than the risk of a vaccine reaction,” DOH 7 said. / CDF