Central Visayas logs low vax coverage

CEBU, Philippines — Data from the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) showed that while eight in every 10 children in Central Visayas received all basic vaccine antigens in 2025, only five in 10 were fully vaccinated according to the national immunization schedule.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported a 79.3 percent basic immunization coverage among children aged 12 to 23 months, but full vaccination coverage remained at 49.3 percent. Health officials stressed the need for children to complete their vaccines on time to ensure full protection against preventable diseases.

The figures were presented during the NDHS Regional Dissemination Forum held on May 21.

According to Wilma Perante, Director II and officer-in-charge of PSA Regional Statistical Services Office VII, the 2022 figures were recomputed to exclude Negros Oriental and Siquijor from Region VII to ensure comparability with the 2025 results.

Data showed that 79.3 percent of children aged 12 to 23 months received all basic vaccine antigens in 2025.

The report defines full immunization coverage as the proportion of children who received complete doses of essential vaccines under the Philippine National Immunization Schedule, including Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), Diphtheria-Pertussis-Tetanus (DPT), Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) or Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), and Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR), among others.

For children aged 24 to 35 months, full vaccination also includes additional doses, such as the second dose of the MMR vaccine.

In Central Visayas, only 49.3 percent of children aged 12 to 23 months were fully vaccinated according to the national schedule in 2025.

Among children aged 24 to 35 months, full immunization coverage stood at 49 percent, slightly higher than the 47.6 percent recorded in 2022.

The survey also showed mixed results across individual vaccine antigens.

BCG coverage increased to 96.2 percent in 2025 from 92.9 percent in 2022. Polio vaccination coverage also improved to 91.6 percent from 83.2 percent, while MMR coverage rose slightly to 92.1 percent from 90.5 percent.

However, DPT coverage dipped to 85 percent from 86.5 percent.

Under the national schedule, Hepatitis B birth dose coverage improved significantly to 92.2 percent from 82.9 percent in 2022. Meanwhile, IPV coverage declined to 83.1 percent from 90.8 percent, while Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) coverage dropped to 68.2 percent from 83.2 percent.

Compared with other regions in the country, Central Visayas ranked in the lower half in terms of vaccination coverage.

Its 79.3 percent coverage for basic vaccine antigens trailed the Ilocos Region, which posted the highest rate at 95.6 percent. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) recorded the lowest at 32.7 percent.

Similarly, Central Visayas' 49.3 percent full vaccination coverage under the national schedule lagged behind Ilocos Region's 94.3 percent, while BARMM posted the lowest rate at 13 percent.

Trend data presented during the forum showed that coverage for all basic antigens in Central Visayas improved from 72.2 percent in 2017 to 79.3 percent in 2025.

However, full vaccination coverage under the national schedule declined over the years, falling to 49.3 percent in 2025 from 62.8 percent in 2022 and 78.5 percent in 2013.

The proportion of children who had not received any vaccination also changed significantly over time. The figure rose sharply to 16.6 percent in 2017 before declining to 3.8 percent in 2025.

Meanwhile, during the forum, Department of Health in Central Visayas Medical Officer III Dr. Faith Curaraton emphasized the importance of ensuring that children complete their vaccinations before reaching one year old.

She explained that delays in vaccination leave children vulnerable to infectious diseases during their most critical years of growth and development.

Curaraton also emphasized the importance of completing the recommended two-dose MMR vaccination series to prevent outbreaks of measles.

“If a group of 10 children in a classroom, angisamagka measles, and the next day 8 of them will have measles, and the very next day you will have 95 to 100 percent ang absent,” she said.

She added that health authorities are working to ensure children complete their immunization schedules before the age of two to reduce the number of children who receive vaccines later than recommended and to strengthen protection against vaccine-preventable diseases.

Curaraton likewise highlighted the importance of reliable health data in guiding public health programs and investments.

“Good data is an act of care by embedding standardized evaluation into our daily rhythm. We ensure that every decision we make, every peso we spend, and every program we implement honors the health and dignity of the Filipino,” she said.

“Thus, no mother or child should be left behind,” she added. — Sofhia Grace Neri, CNU Intern/MRM (FREEMAN)