CLOSE to one million children in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm) have now been reached by the ongoing measles outbreak response immunization campaign of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Ministry of Health.
In a statement, the DOH reported that as of April 17, 2024, a total of 981,805 children aged six months to 10 years old are now protected against measles.
"We have achieved a vaccination coverage of 71.60 percent out of the total target eligible population of 1,371,284," said the DOH.
The top three Barmm provinces with the highest vaccine coverage are Maguindanao del Norte with 96.8 percent, Sulu with 89.4 percent, and Maguindanao del Sur with 81.2 percent.
Other Bangsamoro areas registered vaccine coverages of 70.5 percent in Tawi-Tawi, 44.5 percent in Lanao del Sur, and 36.5 percent in Basilan.
With a significant number of eligible children still unvaccinated at 389,479, the health department continued to call on parents and guardians to have their kids vaccinated against measles.
"We continue to urge all parents, guardians, and caregivers to protect their children from vaccine-preventable diseases, like measles, by ensuring every child is vaccinated," said the DOH.
It was on April 1, 2024 when the DOH and Barmm-MOH began the measles immunization drive in Bangsamoro.
This is in response to the measles outbreak declared in the region, with close to half of the cases nationwide coming from Barmm. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)