DOH-CAR urges increased vaccination coverage for World Immunization Week 2024
By Ciamy Mamuri | April 13, 2024
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The Department of Health — Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CAR) Family Health Cluster Head Dr. Anachris Kilakil emphasized the importance of immunization from Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPDs) in light of this year’s World Immunization Week during a health media conference on April 11.
Kilakil introduced this year’s upcoming World Immunization Week and its 50-year celebration from April 24 to 30 with the theme “Kapag Bakuna ay Kumpleto, Lahat Protektado,” which highlights the importance of collective action needed to protect the health of individuals through vaccination.
Kilakil said that vaccines prevent individuals from having severe illnesses, enabling the community to have herd immunity, and avoid the risk of cancer and antimicrobial resistance.
However, she noted that while vaccines can’t ensure complete protection against VPDs, they can still prevent severe complications once affected by them.
“It goes beyond individual protection,” Kilakil said while noting that vaccination benefits not just individuals but also their families and communities by preventing the occurrence of a pandemic.
“Imagine ngayon ‘yong mga areas sa Pilipinas na may outbreak na ng Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, ‘yong resources nila napupunta para respondehan ‘yong outbreak na ‘yon. Instead na malalaan ‘yong resources para sa iba na equally important na kakailanganin ng communities,” she added, stating that countries with high vaccination coverage tend to have prosperous economies.
(Imagine those areas in the Philippines that are now having an outbreak of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases. They are allocating their resources to address the outbreak instead of those resources being allocated for other factors that are equally important to the needs of the communities.)
However, Kilakil also enumerated the challenges of the immunization program, which are the heightened cases of VPDs this year in CAR.
DOH-CAR recently reported an increase in the cases of VPDs in the region starting January 1 to March 30, 2024, with Pertussis having 51 total cases and 1 death, Measles-Rubella with 32, and Non-neonatal Tetanus with 3.
Kilakil said that other than the individual’s low vaccine confidence that discourages their intent to receive vaccination, there is also a problem in the lack of supply and unreadiness of facilities.
Dr. Anachris Kilakil concluded her talk by promoting collective responsibility and mutual trust in vaccination services, urging individuals to have confidence in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.