DOH exceeds immunization drive target

Heady with praise from international organizations, Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit reported that the government posted a 101.7 percent immunization rate in the second round of the Balik Patak Kontra Polio conducted last Mar. 2 to 8.

"We are happy with the results. It showed that we did things better in the second round," Dayrit told Department of Health officials during a post-immunization meeting at the Grand Boulevard Hotel in Manila yesterday.

Dayrit said the government posted a 98.7 percent immunization rate in the first round of the campaign last February after administering free oral polio vaccines to 11,765,766 children aged five and below, or 98.7 percent of their target of 11.9 million children.

During the second round, health officials vaccinated 2,117,672 children, or 101.7 percent of the target. The figure was 217,672 children over the target, Dayrit reported.

He attributed the success of the campaign to lessons they learned during the first round which enabled them to implement corrective measures that contributed to the success of the second round.

However, the target of 11.9 million children was based on the census report for 1999 and apparently did not factor the annual population growth rate of 2.9 percent which would translate to more than 700,000 children over the past two years.

Nonetheless, the campaign has gained the praise of international organizations, like the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund, which donated 28 million oral polio vaccines for the immunization drive.

Dayrit’s skill in marshaling government resources and the cooperation of non-government organizations, like the Rotary International, has also earned him the moniker of "General" among health professionals.

WHO executive Dr. Paolo Froes, who conducted a validation of the campaign’s success, described the vaccination program as a "major achievement."

"It was major achievement especially in a country that is already polio-free," Froes said, noting the DOH’s vigilance in preventing the recurrence of polio in the country.