By Brian Campued
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Monday led the kickoff of the government’s immunization campaign “Bakuna Eskwela” at Dr. Alejandro Albert Elementary School in Manila.
A joint initiative of the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Education (DepEd), the P853 million worth school-based vaccination drive is aimed at protecting school-age children from measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, and cervical cancer.
The program is expected to inoculate at least 3.8 million public school students enrolled in Grades 1 to 7 with measles-rubella (MR) and tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccines.
Meanwhile, 973,930 female Grade 4 students in selected public schools will also be injected with human papillomavirus vaccine that protects against cervical cancer.
Angara underscored the Bakuna Eskwela is pursuant to the directive made by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during his 3rd State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July this year: to focus on improving education outcomes.
“School-based immunization strengthens this agenda, particularly in ensuring the physical and mental well-being of learners to enjoy learning that is free from health burdens and putting a premium on ensuring a positive learning experience for our learners,” the DepEd chief said.
Herbosa, likewise, thanked the President, the government partners, as well as the local government units for supporting the program and “saving lives through immunization.”
“Our goal is to create a safe environment and ensure the health and well-being of every Filipino child,” the Health chief said.
From Jan. 1 to Sept. 14, 2024, the DOH said it has recorded a total of 11 deaths out of 3,356 cases of measles and rubella; 25 deaths out of 215 cases of diphtheria; and 44 deaths out of 81 cases of neonatal tetanus.
It was also noted that about 4,052 women die from cervical cancer and around 7,897 are diagnosed with the illness.
The program, which was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic due to mobility restrictions, will be rolled out across public schools nationwide until November this year in order to save children from vaccine-preventable diseases. —av