The Manila Health Department (MHD) will start next week its free vaccination drive for babies dubbed the “Chikiting Bakunation Days” for routine and catch-up immunization of all infants aged up to 23 months old in the city.
The immunization of the infants would be implemented on May 30 until June 10, 2022, according to the MHD.
As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues, Manila is encouraging the public to join its immunization programs that would defend their children from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) such as polio, measles and rubella.
This will be conducted in all the six districts of Manila, with the MHD setting up vaccination sites in the health centers and the six district hospitals of the city. Door-to-door immunization will also be conducted.
The city government of Manila has been vigilant in preventing measles, polio, rubella, as well as other highly contagious diseases, which may lead to grave complications including permanent disability and death.
Such diseases can be prevented through the immunization program, as the MHD encouraged mothers and fathers to have their kids vaccinated.
The MHD also stressed the importance of good hygiene in all places, especially in the residents’ homes, in order to prevent these contagious diseases. On the other hand, the MHD said the vaccination program is important to help save lives of children. Willie Casas
Medical experts say that complete immunization is the most effective way to keep people safe from measles and also from rubella, commonly known as “tigdas hangin”, whose symptoms include fever, rashes, conjunctivitis, head, body and eye aches, chills and anorexia.
Still, many of them, especially children, do not receive or have not completed immunization so diseases like this remain widespread in the country.
In the past, children were put at risk of lifelong paralysis due to the outbreak of polio, where the virus enters the body through the mouth, by ingesting contaminated food and water. Most infections do not show symptoms, there is no medicine that could cure this and the only protection is through proper immunization.
Likewise, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, children who are not yet vaccinated become more at high risk of acquiring preventable diseases such as measles, rubella and polio.
But with Manila’s routine and catch-up vaccinaton days, all of these can be prevented, the MHD said.