The World Health Organization (WHO) said that immunization is a global health and development success story, saving millions of lives every year.
Vaccines reduce risks of getting a disease by working with your body’s natural defenses to build protection. When you get a vaccine, your immune system responds, it added.
In the Philippines, an estimated 2.4 million children under the age of five are susceptible of getting measles that is why the Department of Health (DOH) aims to vaccinate 95 percent of children in their campaign. Phase One will take place in Mindanao, Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Mimaropa and Bicol.
During the fourth in their series of “Health Connect” online forum, titled “Measles Threat in the Philippines: The Need for Herd Immunity,” the DOH, Philippine Medical Association (PMA), Philippine Foundation for Vaccination (PFV), and the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) emphasized the importance of vaccination.
Department of Health National Immunization Campaign Program Manager Dr. Wilda Silva stressed that vaccination has an important role in protecting children’s lives.
“We cannot understate the value of vaccines,” Dr. Silva said.
Highly contagious
Dr. Silva noted that measles is a highly contagious disease that seriously affects the respiratory systems of children.
“With no specific treatment for the disease, vaccination is seen as the best form of protection,” she added.
Dr. Silva was joined by the president of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines, Dr. Mary Ann Bunyi, who explained how measles is easily transmitted from one child to another and highlighted how herd immunity prevents this.
“We want our children to get vaccinated not just for their own safety, but to help in protecting the entire community,” said Dr. Bunyi.
“We support this government campaign to protect children and their families through vaccination. Ensuring that our children and communities are free from vaccine-preventable diseases like measles will help the country sustain the battle against Covid-19,” said PHAP Executive Director Teodoro Padilla.
Herd immunity
Herd immunity is achieved when a sufficient number of people in the community are immune to an infectious disease.
It also protects others who have not been vaccinated, including those with very weak immune systems and very young babies.
Dr. Bunyi added that “while measles is highly contagious, it is also a vaccine-preventable disease. This means the more children get vaccinated, the lower its rate of transmission.”
PFV Executive Director Dr. Lulu Bravo joined the event as a reactor and emphatically asked everyone to remember the value of vaccination and trust in the science behind its development.
PIDSP Vice-President Dr. Fatima Gimenez moderated the event, and encouraged everyone to do their part in sharing trusted information about public health matters, specifically vaccination.
Vaccinate kids
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III encouraged parents to have their children vaccinated.
“As the world awaits a vaccine for our current pandemic, we must remember to continue our vaccination efforts for other existing diseases to fully protect everyone in our community,” Duque said.
We support this DOH campaign because vaccination saves lives and remains to be one of the most successful and cost effective health interventions of our time. We share in the belief that the people who develop, deliver, and receive them are modern-day heroes because they are working to protect the health of everyone even amidst the challenges brought by the pandemic,” said PMA President Dr. Benito Atienza.
In Region 10, immunization experts recently stressed the importance of strengthening routine Immunizations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Immunization protects the people. Moreover, routine immunization is the foundation of health care in the community and prevents diseases from spreading,” Dr. Emma Pilar Imperio, DOH Region 10 medical officer of Family Health Care said in a recent webinar organized by the DOH regional office.
Protecting the population
Imperio said maintaining high immunization rates across all age groups is essential to protect the population. Moreover, she said vaccination efforts are still needed despite the pandemic in order to prevent and control the emergence or re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, polio, and pneumonia among others.
Nevertheless, Imperio pointed out that there is also an iimportant need to address the issues surrounding the misconception on vaccines.
“The people should be aware and familiar that vaccination is the greatest triumph in medical history. It is cost effective and help save the people from diseases. It also lessens the burden on the public health system,” Imperio said.
“In building vaccine confidence and a more resilient health system for immunization, there is a need to address the stigma surrounding immunization which still hinders many people from getting the necessary vaccination to protect them from infectious diseases,” she pointed out.
She also stressed that vaccination is pro-people project that is designed to protect the vulnerable sectors such as the elderly and children.