MABALACAT CITY—Health Secretary Enrique Ona led the mass immunization of Ayta children in Barangay Calumpang as part of the nationwide campaign against the outbreak of measles, rubella and polio among children to interrupt the transmission of highly communicable diseases.
He was joined by Gov. Lilia Nanay Pineda, Mayor Marino Boking Morales, Health Central Luzon Director Leonita Gorgolon, Board Members Crisostomo Garbo and Cherry Manalo and Vice Mayor Christian Halili and other Department of Health (DOH) personnel in the region, as well as the provincial and city governments.
In his message, Ona said the target is to give measles-rubella (MR) vaccination to 11 million children 9 months to 59 months, and oral polio vaccine (OPV) to 13 million children from birth to 59 months all over the country during the month.
Ona said the goal is to achieve 95-percent coverage from the MR-OPV vaccines at all administrative levels in one month.
“For the whole of September, the DOH is holding a nationwide measles immunization and oral polio-vaccination campaign in all health centers in the country, from Mondays to Fridays,” he said. It was learned that the health workers are set to hold mop-up operations beginning the middle of the month to cater to those who were not reached by the vaccination.
“A house-to-house operation shall be conducted in areas that are still far from the 95-percent coverage target to vaccinate the ‘missed’ children to ensure that all will be vaccinated,” Ona said. He urged mothers and caregivers to bring their children, regardless of their vaccination status, from newborn to below 5 years old, to the nearest health centers to have them vaccinated against measles, rubella and polio.
Ona said the average cost for treating a measles case range from P15,000 to P30,000, depending on whether the case has already resulted in complications like blindness, diarrhea, encephalitis and pneumonia, among others.
On the other hand, Ona said the DOH will only be spending P31 per child for the MR vaccine, while every OPV costs P8 only.
“Now, this is for free to all Filipino children,” he added.
Pineda thanked Ona for the health services given by the DOH to the province, which she estimated to have cost hundreds of millions of pesos—from construction of district hospitals, birthing stations, provision of medical equipment, public health services, among others.
“Marami pong salamat sa inyong ipinakikitang pagmamalasakit sa kalusugan ng mga Capampangan. Hindi po namin ito malilimutan,” the governor said.
Gov. Pineda has also distributed food-assistance packages to hundreds of Ayta families in the said village through the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office.
Likewise, Morales lauded the efforts of the health secretary to bring the health services of the national government up to the upland communities like barangay Calumpang.