BAGUIO CITY (PIA) -- The Department of Health in the Cordillera region recently rolled out routine immunization and bivalent oral polio vaccine campaign to help ensure the protection of children against vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs).
DOH Regional Director Dr. Amelita Pangilinan explained that VPDs are infectious diseases caused by viruses or bacteria that can be prevented through vaccination. The most common VPDs include measles, influenza, pneumonia, polio, rotavirus, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, chicken pox, hepatitis, and human papilloma virus.
The World Health Organization risk assessment for 2022-2023 showed that the Philippines is still considered at risk for polio outbreaks, with 24 out of 81 provinces considered high-risk.
Dr. Jennifer Joyce Pira of DOH Cordillera, meanwhile, shared that the region is still experiencing consistent presence of measles-rubella cases. She reported that during last year’s conduct of the Measles-Rubella and OPV supplemental immunization activity, Cordillera registered a 65.3 percent coverage in terms of MR accomplishment, and 69.3 percent in OPV coverage.
Pangilinan said the objectives of this year’s immunization campaign is to increase the routine immunization coverage for polio for 0-12 months old infants to at least 95 percent; Catch-up on missed children especially those missed during the COVID-19 pandemic; and Protect the population from the circulating poliovirus based on the latest environmental surveillance report.
