DOH aims 95% child vaccine coverage yearly

DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa aims to have 95% of nearly two million Filipino children fully vaccinated yearly as part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s health department initiatives.

During a post-SONA discussion on Tuesday, Herbosa emphasized the urgency and importance of completing vaccination schedules for children against preventable diseases like measles, mumps, rubella, polio, hepatitis, diphtheria, and more.

The DOH plans to collaborate with local government units (LGUs), health workers, and civil society groups to achieve this target, relying on barangay health workers who make up the vaccine teams through the Purok Kalusugan initiative.

A catch-up campaign for school-aged children will be launched in September and October, offering measles-rubella, tetanus-diphtheria, and HPV vaccines as part of ongoing efforts to ensure complete vaccination coverage.

Herbosa disclosed that a survey showed 85% of mothers support vaccinating their children, debunking claims about widespread opposition to vaccines in the country.