Immunization in the Philippines: Expand Coverage of Mandatory Basic Immunization Program by Alice Llamas
Dengvaxia vaccine was cited as the reason why an alarming number of people in the Philippines, particularly children, died in November 2017. Because of the scare and the public’s loss of trust, immunization rates in the country drastically dropped. The country has also suffered a measles outbreak recently, which prompted different sectors to campaign for vaccination.
To address this, the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) of the Philippines organized the forum “Immunization in the Philippines: Expand Coverage of Basic Mandatory Immunization Program” last October 17, 2019.
Invited as keynote speaker was Dr. Lulu Bravo, executive director at the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, who shared some salient points regarding vaccines.
- Some vaccines prevent cancer
- Vaccines enhance equity
- Vaccines prevent the development of antibiotic resistance
- Vaccines promote safe travel and mobility
- Vaccines protect against 26 diseases
According to Dr. Bravo, the Philippines, along with the rest of the Western Pacific region, has been certified polio-free since 2000. She further emphasized that, because of vaccines, the Philippines was able to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus in 2017.
Here are my key takeaways from her presentation:
- When vulnerable populations, especially children, are not vaccinated, they have a higher risk of getting sick and dying.
- Vaccines save countless lives, preventing an estimated number of 2.5 million deaths globally each year.
- Every 60 seconds, 5 lives are saved by vaccines worldwide.
- If people are not vaccinated, diseases that have become uncommon, such as pertussis (whooping cough), polio, and measles will quickly reappear.
- The benefits of vaccination greatly outweigh the risks — more illnesses and deaths would occur without vaccines.
- Aside from negatively impacting the health of Filipinos, infectious diseases also damage the country’s economy.
A highly engaging and interactive Q&A followed the presentation.
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About the author:
Alice possesses a solid decade of experience in business development, human resources, recruitment and talent acquisition. She graduated from Far Eastern University with a degree in Political Science.
