The Department of Health-Negros Island Region Center for Health Development has issued a warning against misinformation circulating online about vaccines and urged parents to verify health information before sharing or acting on social media posts.
Among the claims identified by the DOH as false were that vaccines contain microchips, that vaccines are unsafe or more dangerous than the diseases they prevent, and that apparently healthy children no longer need vaccination.
Available medical evidence supports the DOH warning, with the World Health Organization describing vaccination as the most effective way of preventing measles and saying the measles vaccine is safe and effective.
WHO said measles are among the world’s most contagious diseases and can lead to pneumonia, encephalitis or brain swelling, blindness and death, particularly among young children.
An estimated 95,000 people worldwide died from measles in 2024, mostly unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children below five years old, while vaccination was estimated to have prevented nearly 59 million deaths between 2000 and 2024, WHO said.
Rubella can be mild among children but poses a serious threat when transmitted to pregnant women, particularly early in pregnancy, as infection can result in miscarriage, fetal death or congenital rubella syndrome and birth defects.
WHO describes vaccination as the best means of preventing rubella and its transmission.
Bacolod National Immunization Program Coordinator Paulyne Sustento earlier assured parents that the vaccines used in the campaign have undergone years of study and have been used across generations, according to the Philippine Information Agency.
Vaccine misinformation has also emerged elsewhere during the current nationwide campaign, with SunStar reporting that health authorities in Cebu had to counter unverified social media claims about children supposedly becoming ill or dying from vaccination.
In one case, health officials said claims of children becoming ill circulated even before vaccination had begun in the locality, while another local government disputed a social media post claiming that a child had died after vaccination.
The DOH-NIR urged parents and caregivers to verify information with health workers and credible health authorities instead of relying on unverified social media posts.
Children aged six to 59 months may be brought to fixed vaccination sites or temporary vaccination posts in their communities as the regional “Ligtas Tigdas” campaign continues until Aug. 28.*
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