DOH sets school-based inoculations next month

A nationwide schoolbased immunization program will be launched next month, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said yesterday.

- HELEN FLORES

The Bakuna Eskwela program will be launched on Oct. 7 at the Dr. Alejandro Albert Elementary School in Manila.

Public school students in Grades 1 and 7 will be inoculated with vaccines for measles, rubella, tetanus and diphtheria.

Female students aged nine will receive the human papillomavirus vaccine to prevent cervical cancer.

"Every year, we target about two million (children). Our current rate is at 34 percent. We want around 1.5 million kids to get vaccinated through these catch-up (campaigns)," Herbosa said.

Students could receive the vaccinations every Friday after Oct. 7, he noted.

Based on DOH data, the coverage of fully immunized children in the country is below the 95 percent target since 2010.

As of July 2024, the country has reached only 34.7 percent of fully immunized children.