The Department of Health (DOH) has deployed 23 teams for the Measles-Rubella Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR-SIA) in the Ilocos Region from Aug. 10 to 21.

Each five-member team consists of doctors, nurses, medical technologists, and health program officers, providing vaccination, field supervision, and technical assistance, according to DOH-Ilocos.

The deployment aims to support local health workers in immunizing children aged six to 59 months, focusing on hard-to-reach and flood-affected communities, and supports the region’s goal to vaccinate at least 95 percent of its 444,512 eligible children.

“Our objective is to reach as many eligible children as possible and ensure they receive the protection they need against measles and rubella despite the weather condition,” DOH-Ilocos Director Helen Tobias said in a statement on Thursday.

Tobias urged parents and caregivers of children aged six to 59 months to visit designated vaccination sites or coordinate with their local health offices and barangay health workers.

“Every missed child is another child left vulnerable to measles and rubella. Let us seize this opportunity to ensure that no child is left behind,” she said.

The DOH emphasized that the measles-rubella vaccine is safe, effective, and provided free of charge as part of the government’s commitment to universal health care. (PNA)