The Department of Health-Zamboanga Peninsula (DOH-9) logged a 60 percent vaccination rate for the first two weeks in its Measles-Rubella and bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine Supplemental Immunization Activities (MR-OPV SIA). The campaign aims to vaccinate children aged nine to 59 months old against measles-rubella, and those zero to 59 months old with OPV because they are vulnerable to the vaccine-preventable diseases. Dr. Joshua Brillantes, DOH-9 director, said Tuesday that 223,782 or 60 percent of the total 374,081 eligible population have been vaccinated against measles. Likewise, 40,640 or 68 percent of the total 59,338 eligible population were given bOPV. ‘Not all areas are part of the bOPV SIA. The selection is based on the coverage of routine immunization and the risk for the possible emergence of outbreaks,’ Brillantes said. He encouraged parents and guardians to have their eligible children to be vaccinated in the MR-bOPV SIA campaign to prevent the risk of complications of vaccine-preventable diseases and the reemergence of outbreaks. ‘With your help and cooperation, we can save our children, the future of our country from vaccine-preventable diseases,’ Brillantes said, adding that the vaccines are safe and effective. DOH-9 aims to vaccinate 768,792 children against MR and polio during the supplemental immunization activities that started May 2 and will end May 31. The region’s goal is to immunize 354,774 children aged 9 months to 59 months with MR shots, while 414,018 children aged zero to 59 months will be administered the bOPV.

Source: Philippines News Agency