THE Health and Education Departments launched yesterday a nationwide vaccination program to protect school children from measles, tetanus, rubella, diphtheria and human papillomavirus (HPV).
Dubbed “Bakuna Eskwela,” the program aims to immunize at least 3.8 million public school students enrolled in Grades 1 to 7 with MR and Td vaccines, and 973,930 female Grade 4 students in selected public schools for the HPV vaccine that protects against cervical cancer.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the government has allocated P854 million for the vaccination drive, which will last until November this year.
“We thank President Marcos Jr. for his strong support for saving lives through immunization. We also thank our partners from the DepEd and the local government units across the country for helping us save the lives of our students dahil sa Bagong Pilipinas Bawat Buhay Mahalaga,” Herbosa said during the program’s launch at Dr. Albert Elementary School in Dapitan, Manila.
DepEd chief Sonny Angara said the vaccination program would also help improve education outcomes as school children would attend classes knowing they are fully protected from diseases.
Angara said ensuring the health and protection of school children from various diseases is also one of the main programs of the department.
“We always welcome and even pursue opportunities to collaborate with the DOH that will help us achieve our five-point agenda pursuant to the SONA directives of President Marcos, to focus on improving education outcomes,” Angara said during the event.
“School-based immunization strengthens this agenda, particularly in ensuring the physical and mental well-being of learners to enjoy learning that is free from health burdens and putting a premium on ensuring a positive learning experience for our learners,” he added.
The need for the vaccination drive is all the more pressing considering that DOH data showed that from January 1 to September 14, 2024, it 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 nationwide.
The department also counted 7,897 women diagnosed with cervical cancer, with about 4,052 dying from the disease annually.
Herbosa said all of the cases and deaths could have been prevented through “safe and effective vaccination.”
School-based immunization was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic due to mobility and health restrictions.