DOH to kick off ‘Bakuna Eskwela’ on Oct. 7

Metro Manila, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) will launch a nationwide school-based immunization program in October to boost children’s health against vaccine-preventable diseases.

In a news briefing, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved ₱7.9 billion to buy vaccines next year.

“It is a libreng bakuna para sa Grade 1 at Grade 7, bibigyan sila ng measles at Rubella vaccine, at tetanus and diphtheria, so makukuha na rin namin pati iyong zero-dose children,” Herbosa said.

“Tapos iyong Grade 4 na babae, na batang babae, nine years old ito, mabibigyan sila ng human papillomavirus vaccine or iyong anti-cervical cancer vaccine,” he said.

[Translation: It is a free vaccine for Grade 1 and 7 students. They will be given vaccines for measles, rubella, tetanus, and diphtheria. We will also target zero-dose children. Grade 4 girls, nine years old, will also be given human papillomavirus vaccines or anti-cervical cancer vaccines.]

Herbosa said the program will be launched on Oct. 7 at the Dr. Alejandro Albert Elementary School in Manila.

Learners from public schools could be administered with vaccine shots every Friday for the whole of October.

It’s not mandatory but health workers will try to talk with parents who refused to let their children be vaccinated, the DOH chief said.

Herbosa said the DOH has a yearly target of vaccinating two million children, and the current rate this year is at 34%. This means, he said, that around 1.3 million children are targeted for the catch-up program.

“We are hoping, every year nakaka-95% tayo, 71% lang ang nakukuha natin. With these two programs, itong school-based at saka iyong big catch-up, we are hoping to increase that by the end of the year, by December,” he added.

[Translation: We are hoping, every year we complete 95% but we only get 71%. With these two programs, the school-based at the big-catch up, we are hoping to increase that by the end of the year, by December.]