MORE than 22,000 kids have been given the oral polio vaccine in the second round of the Synchronized Oral Polio Vaccine campaign that started last Monday in Mindanao and the National Capital Region.
The figure was released by the Philippine Red Cross, which is holding the vaccination drive with the Department of Health.
PRC chairman Sen. Richard Gordon said the agency vaccinated a total of 22,029 children aged five and below Monday. The drive continues up to Dec. 7.
“PRC’s target for the 13-day period is 100,000 children, or an average of 8,000-9,000 per day for both Metro Manila and Mindanao,” said Gordon.
Of the 22,029 vaccinated, Red Cross data showed 11,290 were from Metro Manila.
In Mindanao, a total of 10,739 children have received the oral polio vaccine.
The DOH earlier said a total of 1.2 million children in the National Capital Region and another 5.2 million in Mindanao are the target of the vaccination drive.
Gordon echoed the DOH’s call for parents to have their children vaccinated against polio, saying: “Children, being the most vulnerable in our society, need utmost care and protection, especially when it comes to their health.”
A total of 1,113 volunteers and 73 staff were mobilized by the Red Cross for the campaign.
