4 million students to benefit from school-based immunization

MANILA, Philippines — Over four million public school students will receive vaccinations against measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria and human papillomavirus (HPV) under the P853-million Bakuna Eskwela initiative of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Education (DepEd).

The two agencies relaunched the school-based immunization (SBI) campaign at the Dr. Alejandro Albert Elementary School in Sampaloc, Manila yesterday.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said Bakuna Eskwela seeks to immunize 3.8 million Grade 1 and Grade 7 students against measles, rubella, tetanus and diphtheria and 973,930 female Grade 4 students in select public schools against HPV to protect them from cervical cancer.

The DOH said vaccine hesitancy is high at 90 percent, which was only at 40 percent before the Dengvaxia immunization issue during the administration of the late president Benigno Aquino III.

“Vaccines provide safety and save lives. The (DOH) explained that in extreme cases, kids could die if they’re not vaccinated, so we really need to take this seriously,” Angara told reporters.

SBIs were suspended during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic due to mobility restrictions, but now that classes are back to being held onsite, the DOH and DepEd resumed the program at full capacity following the issuance of DOH Memorandum 2024-0250 and supported by DepEd Memorandum 2024-03-06789.

SBIs will be held every Friday in a select schools.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa asked parents to give consent for their kids to get immunized.

From Jan. 1 to Sept. 14 this year, the DOH recorded 3,356 cases of measles and rubella with 11 deaths, 215 cases of diphtheria with 25 deaths and 81 cases of neonatal tetanus with 44 deaths.

The DOH also noted around 7,897 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and about 4,052 die from the disease annually. It said all of these cases and deaths could have been prevented through safe and effective vaccination.

Angara said information dissemination would be ramped up on the DepEd’s side to deter growing vaccine hesitancy, with teachers directed to speak to parents to inform them against vaccine misinformation.

“In fact, Secretary Herbosa mentioned that the resurgence of polio, measles and pertussis (is a result of hesitancy). They have been gone for a while, but returned because of weakened vaccination efforts,” he added.

The DepEd is eyeing to encourage private schools to implement the same immunization programs for their students.

The campaign will be implemented in all public schools nationwide until next month.

Meanwhile, Herbosa said the Bakuna Eskwela would have P7-billion funding next year to expand vaccinations to the younger population.