More than 100,000 children aged five years old and below were vaccinated against measles, rubella and polio during the first week of the ongoing Chikiting Ligtas campaign in Western Visayas.
Chikiting Ligtas or the Measles, Rubella and Oral Polio Vaccine Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR OPV SIA) is being conducted simultaneously nationwide until May 31 to address the increasing number of measles cases in the country and avert an outbreak, Dr. Adriano Suba-an, regional director of the Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas, said.
Records from the Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development shows that from May 1 to May 5, a total of 113,583 children aged nine to 59 months were inoculated with measles and rubella vaccines. This translates to 17.21 percent of the target 660,054 eligible children.
Data covering the same period also showed that 103,737 children aged zero to 59 months old were able to receive bivalent oral polio vaccines, or 13.47 percent of the target 769,881 eligible children.
The DOH and local government units are leaving no stone unturned to reach all eligible children in this campaign, even making vaccination posts more accessible to the communities by setting up in public plazas, chapels, day care centers, and malls, Suba-an said.
The inclement weather currently being experienced by people in Western Visayas however, has affected some health workers on the ground, especially those in island barangays and geographically isolated and upland areas, he said.
Despite this, the DOH WV CHD is confident that the region will be able to achieve its target vaccination coverage with the strong support of LGUs, partner agencies, and the parents and guardians of eligible children, he added.
Measles, rubella and polio are vaccine-preventable diseases. Without the proper dosage and timely immunization, these diseases can lead to serious health complications such as pneumonia, brain damage, deafness, blindness, heart disorders, permanent disability or even death, Suba-an said.
The DOH continues to call on parents and guardians with children under five years old to bring their children to health centers and vaccination sites to be immunized, he said.
The vaccines that are given to our targets for this campaign are safe, effective, free and have been regularly used during their routine immunizations. More importantly, these vaccines are readily available in most health centers and vaccination sites, Suba-an assured.*