The Department of Health will launch a month-long nationwide school-based immunization program dubbed “Bakuna Eskwela” starting October 7, to allow students who missed one or two vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic to have a chance to complete their jabs.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the program, aimed at improving the country’s coverage versus vaccine-preventable diseases, would offer free of charge jabs for measles and rubella, tetanus and diphtheria, and cervical cancer.
“Every Friday for the month of October, school children can get vaccinated in all DepEd (Department of Education) schools,” Herbosa said.
Students from private schools will also be accommodated, he added.
Under the program, Grades 1 and 7 pupils may avail of measles, rubella, tetanus, and diphtheria vaccines, while Grade 4 female students can also get vaccinated against cervical cancer. Participation is not mandatory, as students will need to get the consent of their parents. However, given the advantages of complete vaccination, and the fact that it is free of charge, it should be highly encouraged.
Herbosa said the government is targeting at least 2 million children every year to raise the country’s immunization rate of 71 percent to at least 95 percent. The program has a budget of P7.9 billion for the purchase of vaccines, allowances of health care workers administering the jabs, and publicity expenses.
One of the negative effects of the pandemic that shut down a significant portion of normal life in the country is that Filipinos now have a lot of catching up to do as far as vaccination is concerned. That is concerning as it is critical in helping our population achieve herd immunity from a host of vaccine preventable diseases that could otherwise pose significant health threats to our youth, as diseases that had otherwise been considered eliminated by vaccines, such as measles and polio, are taking advantage of the gap to make an unwelcome and dangerous comeback.
A population where the majority have been vaccinated will not only protect those that have received the jabs, but also those that were missed. However, for that to happen, the numbers of the vaccinated must be far greater, and that is why our DOH that has made catch up vaccination a priority, will need the cooperation of the parents and the students.
The DOH can only do so much when it comes to trying to achieve herd immunity so we can benefit from it. Unfortunately for the rest of the population, we also have to do our share.*
