DOH emphasizes role of vaccines

BALANGA CITY, Bataan – Quoting World Health Organization (WHO) report, the Department of Health (DOH) declared on Thursday that vaccines are effective and safe.

The DOH said this is one of the five facts being advocated by the WHO in its global campaign to save more lives and reduce the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases especially among children worldwide.

Health Secretary Dr. Francisco Duque III reiterated during the 19th Philippine National Immunization Conference (PNIC) and World Pneumonia Day celebration last Thursday the “crucial role of vaccines in preventing suffering and death among vulnerable groups such as children and women.”

The event held at the Lou-is Restaurant was attended professional doctors and health workers under provincial health officer Dr. Rosanna Buccahan.
According to the WHO report, global vaccination of children has improved, with 116 million or 86 percent of children worldwide receiving basic vaccines every year, but more work is still needed to reach the remaining 19 million children.

“In the Philippines, the DOH, through the expanded program on immunization, has been working to ensure that Filipino children and adolescents, together their mothers or guardians and the elderly individuals have access to vaccines to prevent specific diseases,” Duque points out.

The DOH 2016 Report states that 74.5 percent of children received immunization for various diseases in 2013, but this decreased to 69 percent in 2016.

The Philippine Foundation for Vaccination with the Philippine Pediatric Society – Central Luzon Chapter is supporting the government in addressing the eroding vaccine confidence currently being experienced in the country, said Duque.