City Health addresses low immunization rates among schoolchildren

Jan. 18, 2025
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DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Davao City Health Office (CHO) is expanding its vaccination activities for schoolchildren as their immunization program last year only achieved around 40 percent of their targets.

The CHO rolled out booster vaccines from the Department of Health to public school student which include immunization against measles-rubella, tetanus-diphtheria, human papillomavirus, and cervical cancer. However, despite their intensive campaign in schools, many parents were hesitant to let their children take the vaccines.

Low Turnout

CHO data showed that last year they targeted to vaccinate 77,097 schoolchildren but only achieved to roll out for 29,758 or 39%. 

They targeted children in Grades 1, 4 and 7. The immunization for Grade 4 students particularly targeted girls for the HPV vaccine, while Grade 7 students were given vaccines against measles, rubella, tetanus, and diphtheria.

Below is the distribution of the vaccine in the city’s three congressional districts.

Grade             Target            Result   %     District 1       Dist 2             Dist 3

1                      30,795            12,360  (40)   3,041 (32%)  4,228 (41%)  5,091 (46%)

4                      15,212              5,324  (35)   1,410 (31%)  1,680 (33%)  2,234 (40%)

7                      31,090            12,127  (39)   3,829 (35%)  3,117 (34%)  5,128 (46%)

Low Understanding

Davao Today interviewed two mothers who did not let their children avail of the free immunization.

Myrna Dela Cruz, 43, a mother of four, said she learned about the vaccination through their chat group with the teachers, but claimed there was no discussion of the benefits and effects of the vaccine. 

She did not bother to ask the teacher, nor read the pamphlets given to parents because she was tied down to her work as a market vendor.

Pero bisan naa pay mga basahon nga gihatag ato sa amo wala man gud nako to nabasa og tarong tungod sa kabusy, giingnan na lang nako akong anak nga kung dili man required ayaw na lang sa, (Even if they handed out pamphlets, I did not read them because I was so busy, I just told my child if it’s not required at all, better not to do it)” Dela Cruz admitted.

Dela Cruz clarified that her reluctance was not due to the Dengvaxia controversy, but rather her own fault of not understanding the immunization program.

Like Dela Cruz, Carlota Tabosares, 32, said she and her husband are skeptical of the booster vaccines, but could not find time to ask teachers or health workers about their concerns due to her work.

Tabosares said she is worried that the vaccines might be defective and could affect her children’s health. 

Wala pa gyud mi kasabot ana, mas gwapo gyud unta to kung mapasabot sa amoa og maayo kay lisod na ba. Kato bitaw sa unsa naa man toy report sa Manila baya nga nangamatay ang mga bata. Lisod na gyud, (We don’t understand this. It’s better if they inform us thoroughly to address our concerns. I heard a report in Manila that a child died. That is a concern.)” said Tabosares.

The Dengvaxia vaccine scare in 2016 was due to the country’s rollout of the vaccine produced by the pharma company Sanofi to almost a million children. Later findings found out that the vaccine exacerbated cases of dengue to children who had not been infected, and the vaccine should be given to children who had previously been infected.

The controversy resulted to vaccine hesitancy among parents, and a spike of dengue cases in the succeeding years.

But unlike Dela Cruz and Tabosares, Menjanie Dominguez said she allowed her two children, in Grades 1 and 7, to get vaccinated, as she believed this is for their protection.

Dominguez said she did her own research about vaccines and participated in parent-teachers group. 

 “Ay nag research gyud ko, giistoryahan namo mag-asawa kay lisod napud baya no. Mao to akong husband ug ako nag basa-basa gyud mi tapos nangutana sab mi sa among kapitbahay nga BHW unsa na about. So mao to nakadesisyon nga sige kung ok man na for their health, why not di ba? (Oh, I did my research, I talked about this with my husband, because this is serious. We read about this, I asked our neighbor who is a barangay health worker. That’s how we came up with our decision)” she said.

But Dela Cruz and Tabosares still maintain their reluctance to have their children vaccinated.

School-based, mall-based vaccination

To address this backlog, CHO is eyeing to coordinate with all public school principals to allow them to hold an information dissemination program during the parent-teachers assemblies.

“For this year we start again with SBI (School-Based Immunization) 2025, so our plan is to talk with DepEd that during next opening, during PTAs, we may join them and talk with the parents. So that by September, we can orient them again about this,” said Dr. Analiza S. Malubay, DHO District B/ National Immunization Program City Coordinator.

The School-Based Immunization (SBI) program is a collaborative initiative between the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Health (DOH) designed to provide free vaccines to students in public schools. The primary goal of the program is to protect students from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs).

Aside from this school-based drive, the CHO will also conduct vaccination programs in shopping malls where parents and students frequent. 

This targets unvaccinated eligible students from both private and public schools, and will be made available in GMall Bajada, Abreeza, and Victoria Plaza for the entire month of January. (davaotoday.com)

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