PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday directed the Department of Health (DOH) to collaborate with Presidential Communications Office (PCO) to strengthen the government’s information drive on immunization of children.
“We have to get people to talk that they will say ‘you need this, the kids need this,” the President said.
According to the DOH, the country has only reached 34.7 percent fully immunized children which was below the 95-percent target since 2010.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa attributed the discrepancy to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Herbosa explained that there were no classes during the pandemic, resulting in zero immunization accomplishment.
He added that the DOH will pursue what he called a “Big Catch Up” campaign, which includes a nationwide school-based inoculation that will kick off on Oct. 7.
Public school pupils in Grades 1 to 7 will be given vaccines for measles, rubella, tetanus, and diphtheria. Nine-year-old female students will also get their human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as part of the drive.
Meanwhile, the Department of Education said it will cooperate with the immunization initiative, initiative
