The 2023 nationwide Measles Rubella Oral-bivalent Polio Vaccine Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR OPV SIA) that will be conducted in May this year is eyed as a strategy to prevent the occurrence of an outbreak for vaccine-preventable diseases.
Dr. Jose Martin Atienza, Regional Immunization Program Coordinator of the Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH WV CHD), on Monday said the SIA in 2014, 2017 and 2018 were in response to the outbreak and low immunization coverage.
The national immunization rate in 2014 was 73.96 percent, lower when compared with the 82.41 percent coverage in 2013.
From 68.54 percent in 2016, it dropped to 66.32 percent in 2017, 63.15 percent in 2018, and 59.52 percent in 2022.
“This 2023 it is different knowing that we will be conducting the supplemental immunization activity prior to the occurrence of an outbreak in order to have averted or stop an impending outbreak,” he said in a virtual press conference.
Western Visayas has three laboratory-confirmed cases of rubella and two of measles in 2022 while this year there was one laboratory-confirmed case each of rubella and measles.
The SIA targets 660, 054 eligible 9 to 59 months old children for measles-rubella and 769, 881 eligible 0 to 59 months for the bivalent OPV in the region.
“The goal of the national immunization program is to increase the fully immunized child coverage rate up to 95 percent of our target eligible population. This is to increase the resistance children against vaccine preventable infections and ultimately achieve herd immunity,” he said.
The immunization that will be rolled out in May will be conducted not just in primary healthcare facilities but through house-to-house visits and temporary posts such as community centers.
Atienza assured that a vaccine is one way to stop the spread of infection to children, especially to those unvaccinated who are more susceptible to contracting vaccine-preventable diseases.
“Our vaccine remains to be the safest, cost-efficient and most effective way of addressing the current pandemic that we are experiencing. Vaccination continuously saves lives,” he said. (PNA)
