By Diana Tomale, Davao Today Intern
DAVAO CITY – The Center for Health Development (CHD) of the Department of Health XI resumes its massive vaccination campaign this year, targeting the vulnerable children and teenagers.
CHD cluster head, Dr. Raquel Montejo, said they will give measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria (MRTD) vaccines to all Grade 7 public school pupils.
Montejo said immunization on adolescents would start August.
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination would be given to all Grade 4 female pupils on 26 selected provinces of Davao Oriental, also in August this year.
Health personnel would reach out to every purok, especially in high-risk villages “to provide measles and polio vaccination for children five years old and below”, she said.
High-risk puroks are villages children have not been vaccinated.
The DOH would also monitor these high-risk purok quarterly.
Montejo said that while the vaccination is free, “there are still some parents who do not submit their children for vaccination”.
“Some mothers do not really submit their children to vaccination. Either they fear vaccination or they reason out that their children were already vaccinated and so why do they need to be vaccinated again,” she said.
Montejo said that they only vaccinated 96 percent of the total targeted children last year. (davaotoday.com)
