The Department of Health in Western Visayas (DOH-6) has urged the Bacolod City government to step up efforts to prevent measles-rubella and polio outbreaks after registering a low immunization rate among children under a year old in the previous year.
DOH-6 regional director Adriano Suba-an issued the call during the regional launching of the Measles-Rubella (MR) and bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV) Supplemental Immunization Activity (SIA) at the Bacolod Government Center grounds yesterday.
Set from May 1 to 31, the “Chikiting Ligtas sa Dagdag Bakuna Kontra Polio, Rubella at Tigdas” campaign seeks to prevent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases and the continuous rise of measles in the country.
Citing records, Suba-an said that Western Visayas’ fully-immunized child (FIC) accomplishment in 2022 was only at 59.52 percent, way below the 95 percent to establish herd immunity.
“Kinakabahan po tayo diyan. Kasi mababa po ang FIC natin, there would be a great possibility of an outbreak. That’s the new threat here in Bacolod,” Suba-an said.
He noted that in this city, the FIC accomplishment is only at 42 percent.
“If there [is] a measles outbreak, it could happen here in Bacolod,” the DOH-6 chief said.
Suba-an said at the start of the year, Bacolod already had a confirmed rubella or German measles case, while Iloilo City also had a confirmed measles case.
“These are the highly-urbanized cities of Western Visayas, which have highly-populated areas with houses very close to each other. If there is a measles case, the transmission would be fast,” he added.
In Bacolod, data showed that 50,081 children aged nine to 59 months are targeted for MR doses, while 58,394 — who are zero to 59 months — for bOPVs.
“Let’s not allow an outbreak to happen in Bacolod. The virus is already here. That’s why we have to stop the transmission,” Suba-an said, adding that the DOH-6 is committed to helping the city government prevent the spread of these viral diseases among children through logistics and technical assistance.
In a statement, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez encouraged parents and guardians to support the month-long SIA in May.
“Bring your kids. The vaccines are free,” he added. (PNA)