Protecting children's health and future through immunization

A child's early years are full of "firsts": first breath, first steps, first day in school.

- TEODORO B. PADILLA

They should also include the first line of protection against dangerous infections through vaccines delivered on time. Immunization is not merely a clinic visit. Vaccination is a safeguard for childhood, a promise that preventable disease will not be allowed to steal a child's health, learning, or life.That promise is rooted in rights. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) affirms every child's right to the highest attainable standard of health which means that children deserve prevention, not only treatment.

Vaccination is among the most effective and cost-effective ways to deliver on that right. We now have vaccines that protect against more than 30 life-threatening infectious diseases, and globally, immunization prevents millions of deaths every year.

There is also a clear economic case. UNICEF has estimated that, on average, every $1 invested in vaccination can generate about $54 in broader economic benefits. For Filipino households, that "return" is felt as fewer days of missed work for parents and caregivers, fewer out-of-pocket medical expenses, and fewer catastrophic costs that can wipe out savings or force families into debt. Vaccination also reduces unnecessary antibiotic use, helping slow antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Vaccines protect not only the child who receives them, but also the wider community. When enough people are immunized, outbreaks struggle to spread which is indirectly protecting newborns too young to be fully vaccinated and others who are medically vulnerable. This "herd immunity" is especially important in the Philippines, where families are often multigenerational and communities are highly connected.