President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. instructed the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) and the Department of Health (DOH) to collaborate in strengthening the national immunization information campaign for children.
"The well-being of our children is of the highest priority. I have directed our health agencies to expedite school-based immunization programs to ensure that our children are protected against preventable diseases," Marcos said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
During a sectoral meeting at Malacañang, Marcos urged PCO Acting Secretary Cesar Chavez to aid in spreading the message, with a focus on leveraging social media.
President Marcos also emphasized the importance of collaborating with the media to disseminate public service announcements.
“Dapat gamitin natin lahat ng air time na pwede nating gamitin,” said Marcos.
A DOH report revealed that the coverage of fully immunized children (FIC) in the country remained below the 95 percent target since 2010. As of July 2024, just 34.7 percent of children are fully immunized.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa linked the further decline in the national immunization status to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Mababa ‘yung ating national status ng fully immunized child dahil po naggaling tayo sa Covid-19. Noong Covid-19, walang pasok. Walang school-based vaccination kasi walang eskwela,” Herbosa said.
Furthermore, a campaign named "Big Catch Up" will be launched including nationwide "Bakuna Eskwela" starting on October 7.
Students in Grades 1 and 7 at public schools will be vaccinated against measles, rubella, tetanus, and diphtheria. Additionally, nine-year-old female students will receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as part of the campaign.
