The Bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine Intensive Catch-Up Immunization and Supplemental Immunization Activity of the Department of Health (DOH) has covered 387,557 children in Western Visayas from March to July this year.
To address the increasing number of unimmunized and under vaccinated children, they conducted two programs that led to the vaccination of 252,524 children ages 24 to 59 months old and 135,033 children ages 0 to 23 months, the DOH reported on Friday, July 26.
The program aims to protect the children against the Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPDs) and increase coverage, the DOH said.
With the opening of classes next week, DOH-6 is also planning to provide technical directions for the implementation of School Based Immunization to protect the children against measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, and Human Papillomavirus .
They are also waiting for the arrival of more vaccines in the country to bridge the gap between the emergence of small and large-scale measles and pertussis outbreaks due to low immunization coverage, the DOH said.*