The City Health Office (CHO) here is optimistic to reach the target number of children for the “Chikiting Ligtas” Measles-Rubella and Oral Polio Vaccine Supplemental Immunization Activity for the whole month of February.

Dr. Edwin Miraflor, officer-in-charge of the city health office, said on Thursday despite some challenges faced by the health workers, he thinks that they will be able to achieve the goal of 95 percent immunized children. “(I believe) we will make it,” Miraflor told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

Data from the CHO showed so far, 32,914 children aged 9 to 59 months have received measles-rubella shots, which is 65.53 percent of the 50,231 target number of vaccinees.

Those given the oral polio vaccines, who are 0 to 59 months, reached 37,117, or 63.38 percent of the target 58,565 children, it showed.

Miraflor said some parents are still wary of getting their children immunized because of the scare brought by the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

Also, some children do not feel well during the scheduled immunization that they do not get inoculated right away, he added.

The DOH’s “Chikiting Ligtas” health campaign, which runs from February 1 to 28, aims to immunize 95 percent of all children aged 9 to 59 months for measles-rubella, and all children under 5 years old for polio.

Mayor Evelio Leonardia earlier appealed to parents and guardians to submit their children to vaccination to protect them from these infectious communicable diseases.

DOH-6 regional director Emilia Monicimpo said the vaccination campaign acts as a preventive measure that guards children against contracting highly contagious diseases that lead to grave complications, including permanent disability.

Last week, DOH-6 regional coordinator Adrian Hort Ramos rated the Bacolod CHO “very good” for observing the Covid-19 referral and triage protocols during the vaccination activities. (PNA)