A lawmaker on Friday sought a review of the Philippines ‘vaccination program, saying he finds it “unacceptable” that the country still faces outbreaks of measles and pertussis during the celebration of World Immunization Week.
“We call on the Department of Health (DOH) to urgently review our vaccination program. We need to make sure that our kababayans (countrymen) remain protected especially against preventable diseases,” Rep. Ray Reyes of party-list AnaKalusugan said.
According to the DOH, pertussis cases are still rising and as of April 13, there have been 1,566 cases recorded nationwide.
Meanwhile, 1,817 measles cases were reported from Jan. 1 to April 13, which is five times higher compared to the figure during the same period last year.
Reyes urged parents to ensure that their children have a complete dose of vaccines needed according to their age.
“The vaccine is free at our centers. Pertussis and measles are preventable diseases and it is very important to vaccinate children against it. So we urge our countrymen not to hesitate to vaccinate their children,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Reyes also called on the DOH to continue fighting disinformation campaigns against vaccination.
Children can be protected from pertussis by getting vaccinated with a five-in-one DPT-HepB-HiB vaccine, also called the pentavalent vaccine, which protects against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type B.
Meanwhile, the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine may be given subcutaneously to children with a minimum age of 12 months.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Solon seeks review of vaccination program amid measles, pertussis outbreak.”