More than 93,000 children have received measles-rubella vaccines across the Negros Island Region during the first five days of the “Ligtas Tigdas” campaign, but more than 344,000 others remain to be reached before the vaccination drive ends on Aug. 28.
The Department of Health-Negros Island Region Center for Health Development reported Sunday, Aug. 16, that 93,416 children aged six to 59 months were vaccinated from Aug. 10 to 14.
The figure represents about 21.3 percent of the region’s 437,586 eligible children, as DOH-NIR data showed that 344,170 children had yet to receive the supplemental vaccine.
Negros Occidental recorded the highest coverage among the four major areas in the region, with 67,987 of its 244,757 target children vaccinated, equivalent to 27.8 percent.
Bacolod City followed with 9,248 of 48,839 children, or 18.9 percent, while Siquijor vaccinated 1,019 of its 7,273 target children for 14 percent coverage.
Negros Oriental recorded 15,162 vaccinated children out of a target of 136,717, equivalent to 11.1 percent.
The figures show that Negros Occidental accounted for nearly three-fourths of all children vaccinated in the region during the first five days of the campaign.
Among individual cities and municipalities, Himamaylan City posted the highest reported coverage at 54.8 percent after vaccinating 6,016 of its 10,984 target children, followed by Candoni at 53.4 percent with 1,223 of 2,290 children reached.
Pulupandan reached 49.1 percent of its target, Murcia 43.4 percent, and San Enrique 40.8 percent, according to the DOH-NIR monitoring data.
Cadiz City had vaccinated 5,479 children, or 36.2 percent of its target, while Sagay City reached 4,620 children for 32 percent coverage.
Kabankalan City recorded one of the largest numbers of children vaccinated at 5,532, although this represented 27.7 percent of its larger target population of 19,993 children.
In Negros Oriental, Dumaguete City had the highest reported coverage at 19.9 percent after vaccinating 2,005 of its 10,085 target children, followed by La Libertad at 17.2 percent.
Vallehermoso had the lowest reported coverage in Negros Oriental at 5.4 percent, while Guihulngan City was at 6.3 percent, Amlan at 6.5 percent and Ayungon at 6.6 percent.
In Siquijor, the municipality of Siquijor had the highest coverage at 18.6 percent, while Enrique Villanueva recorded 7.6 percent.
The early figures should not yet be considered final performance rankings among local government units as vaccination schedules, deployment of teams and reporting may differ throughout the three-week campaign.
The DOH launched the Negros Island Region leg of the Measles-Rubella Supplemental Immunization Activity in Bacolod City on Aug. 10, with DOH-NIR Regional Director Dr. Razel Nikka Hao and Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya leading the regional kickoff.
The campaign, which runs from Aug. 10 to 28, targets 437,586 children across Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Siquijor and the highly urbanized Bacolod City.
Health authorities are aiming for at least 95 percent vaccination coverage to build stronger community protection against measles and rubella, with Bacolod alone deploying 74 vaccination teams composed of nurses and midwives to communities.
At 95 percent coverage, around 415,707 of the region’s 437,586 eligible children would need to receive the vaccine.
With 93,416 already vaccinated as of Aug. 14, about 322,291 more children would have to be reached to meet the 95 percent mark.
A simple average shows about 18,683 children were vaccinated per day during the first five days, while reaching 95 percent by Aug. 28 would require an average of roughly 23,000 additional vaccinations per day over the remaining 14 days after Aug. 14, assuming vaccination and reporting continue on a comparable daily basis.*
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