Elderly to receive free vaccines

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government will spend close to half a million pesos to give free anti-pneumonia vaccines to 666 elderly persons, who are already 70-years old and above, living in 25 barangays of the city.

The project will be undertaken by the members of the Mabolo-based Golden Center of Cebu, Inc., a non-government organization accredited by City Hall, who will be the one to conduct the immunization.

Amparo Florida, a doctor by profession and the president of Golden Center of Cebu, said there is a need to immunize the elderly persons because with their old age, they are prone to be inflicted with pneumonia.

Cebu City Legal Officer Joseph Bernaldez said there is no legal obstacle if the city will grant the request of Florida to provide the Golden Center of Cebu with the needed amount of P499,500.

The Cebu City Council already authorized Mayor Michael Rama to sign and enter into a contract with the Golden Center of Cebu, through its president, for the granting of the cost of the project.

The main purpose of the project is to prevent community-acquired pneumonia among the elderly persons.

It was learned that the so-called streptococcus pneumonia is a serious and an underestimated threat to health since it is a leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia and meningitis in adults.

Pneumonia remains to be one of the leading causes of deaths in the country, particularly when it became the No. 1 cause of deaths in 2009.

Although there are over 60,000 senior citizens that are registered with the Cebu City Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA), but these 666 elderly persons aged 70 years old and above are just from the initial 25 barangays.

The barangays include Buhisan, Suba, Pardo and Quiot in the south district, while in the north district are Barangay Luz, Capitol Site, Carreta, Kamputhaw, Lahug, Hipodromo, Busay, Lorega-San Miguel, Sambag 1, Sambag 2, T. Padilla, Tejero, Tinago, Ermita, Cogon Ramos, Apas, Mabolo, Talamban, Kasambagan, Banilad and San Roque. —/MIT (FREEMAN)