DepEd, DOH launch vaccine campaign in selected schools

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MANILA, Philippines — As the Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Health (DOH) launched on Monday a vaccination campaign in public schools, Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara acknowledged the challenge of overcoming people’s reluctance to get inoculated, especially after the Dengvaxia controversy.

Angara and Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, kicked off the revival of the government’s school-based immunization program, “Bakuna Eskwela,” at Dr. Alejandro Albert Elementary School in Manila.

The campaign will be rolled out in selected public schools in several provinces until November as part of government efforts to boost immunization rates nationwide against vaccine-preventable diseases.

Bakuna Eskwela will focus on measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, and human papillomavirus, Angara said.

“As explained by Secretary Ted [Herbosa], a lot could happen to an unvaccinated child. In extreme cases, an unvaccinated child could die and that is why we have to take this seriously,” he told reporters in a chance interview at the sidelines of the kickoff event in Manila.

Low acceptance rate

“Before, at least 90 percent were willing to get the vaccine. But after [the Dengvaxia controversy], this figure dropped to only around 40 percent,” Angara said. “Until now, to be honest, we haven’t recovered from [that drop].”

Dengvaxia was used for the dengue immunization program launched by the Aquino government in 2016. It came under scrutiny during the Duterte administration after Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Acosta blamed it for the deaths of some children who had received the vaccine.

Angara and Herbosa, however, were hopeful that the new inoculation drive would overcome vaccine hesitancy.

“And we are hoping that the parents will sign the consent form … because we will require parental consent [before] students can get the vaccine,” Herbosa said.