The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a record-low of 40 percent for routine childhood vaccination, a pediatric infectious disease expert said.
Dr. Lulu Bravo, executive director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination (PFV), said the pandemic has caused a disruption on routine immunization, especially in the Philippines.
“Regionally, nationally, globally, there has been a disruption in immunization services. At least 70 percent of the countries in the world have had disruption in immunization [of routine vaccines]. Some countries have rebounded, but unfortunately, for the Philippines, we have yet to go back to the original immunization coverage that we enjoyed in 2015 for example,” she said.
“[Back then,] we had a 93 percent vaccine confidence that translated to an 80-90 percent vaccination rate. Now, we only have around 30-40 percent vaccination rate,” she added.
Spearheaded by the Department of Health (DOH), the National Immunization Program, also known as the Expanded Programme on Immunization, is the country’s premiere vaccination program that provides children, infants and their mothers, access to routine vaccines recommended for their age.
Currently, the NIP provides protection against 14 vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) from only six when it first began in the 70’s.
The 2020 Field Health Service Information System annual report states that only 6 out of every 10 Filipino children can be considered fully immunized children.
This was 29.82 percent below the national program target of 95 percent.
In the past five years, the proportion of FIC has not achieved the desired immunization program coverage and has seen a decline since the 2016 coverage of 80.20.
Dr. Bravo warned that unvaccinated children are at high risk of infection which can result in illness, disability or even death.
“They will have more morbidities and mortalities not just from COVID-19 but also from other diseases. And we will be poor because vaccination improves the economy. The healthier you are, the wealthier you will be. Vaccination is an investment in health and wealth.”
In a PFV podcast with immunization program coordinators, PFV health experts cited the recent reappearance of polio, a debilitating disease which was thought to be eradicated, as a consequence of low vaccine coverage.
In the past years, outbreaks have been spotted in Malawi (2022)4, Ukraine (2021)5 and in the Philippines (2019).
PFV also cautioned the public to be mindful of other VPDs like measles which are more infectious than COVID-19.
“Alam niyo po ba na ang measles ay mas contagious pa kaysa sa COVID-19. Ang isang batang may measles ay kayang makahwa ng 18 na tao. May bakuna nga sa COVID-19 pero nakalimutan naman iyong routine vaccination sa tigdas. Kapag nagkita-kita uli ang mga bata sa classroom, outbreak na naman ang measles,” said Dr. Tina Alberto.
In the same FHSIS report, it was found that Region 3 (78.75 percent), Region 1 (76.63 percent) and CARAGA (75.54 percent) were the top 3 regions with the highest FIC coverage, while Metro Manila was among the regions below the national average of 65.18 percent potentially due to the interruptions brought by COVID-19.
Despite the interruption in child vaccination services, two LGUs belonging to the top 2 regions with the highest FIC coverage3 have demonstrated that it is possible for communities to prioritize routine immunization alongside COVID-19 operations.
Data from Guagua, Pampanga showed that the case of polio in the province was close to zero while vaccination of babies up to two years old against measles, mumps and rubella was at 97 percent in 2021.
“Maganda ang performance namin. Hindi ko pinabayaan ang routine vaccination kahit meron tayong pandemya,” said Gapan Mayor Dante D. Torres.
He made sure that every nurse and midwife were the first to be vaccinated against COVID-19 so they could report to the health centers to inoculate babies. Extra allowances were also given to health workers to keep them motivated. Torres said communication is crucial so they educate parents on the importance of routine vaccination through a radio program in a local station.
Meanwhile, Gondelina Balanay, Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) coordinator in Ilocos Norte, said the anticipated surge in pregnancies brought by the pandemic meant that they needed to ensure accessibility, availability and continuity of the NIP especially as young children had no protection against COVID-19.
In their community, barangay health workers diligently log mothers who gave birth in a target client lit (TCL) so that they can keep track and follow-up whenever a baby is due for vaccination. This is supported by an effective referral system which is made possible by close coordination among different hospitals and government units.
As a result of their consistent and best practices, Gondelina shared that FIC coverage in their community increased from 73 percent in 2020 to 77.57 percent in 2021.
“All these efforts and accomplishments show a very strong leadership and dedication of health personnel and of course the continued supply of vaccines by DOH – ito ang nag-momotivate sa amin. Importante din ang sustainability of vaccines na galing sa DOH. We are thankful na regular kaming nabibigyan,” Balanay added.