The Department of Health on Tuesday launched a catch-up vaccination drive to increase the fully-immunized children (FIC) coverage in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Called “Bakuna BayaniJuan: Big Catch-up Immunization”, the campaign targets children aged 0 to 23 months who have missed doses of vital jabs such as Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Vaccine for tuberculosis, bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine, Pentavalent, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, and Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine.

DOH Regional Director Rio Magpantay said other important jabs include those for hepatitis B and measles, mumps, and rubella.

“We are committed to catching up and ensuring that every eligible child in Metro Manila receives their complete vaccinations,” he said.

“We understand that parents may have concerns, especially in this era of misinformation. That’s why part of this campaign is to ensure that they receive accurate, science-based information about the safety and efficacy of vaccines,” he added.

Magpantay encouraged parents and guardians to bring their children to the vaccination sites to be immunized.

Increased vaccine coverage would improve the herd immunity against vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) in NCR, he said.

The campaign, which was launched in Caloocan City, will run until Dec. 16, 2024 to protect approximately 107,995 children against VPDs.

As of Nov. 17, the National Immunization Program reported that measles-rubella (MR) vaccine and 37,463 Tetanus-Diphtheria (TD) vaccine for Grade 1 students were given through the ongoing School-Based Immunization drive in NCR.

For Grade 7 students, a total of 24,017 got the MR vaccine and 24,003 received the TD vaccine.

Meanwhile, about 18,635 Grade 4 female students received their human papilloma virus vaccine.

Apart from eligible children, pregnant women will be given TD vaccine.

Adults aged 60 years and above will receive necessary immunizations. (PNA)