MANILA: The government today launched the mass immunization campaign against measles and polio, targeting 95 percent of all children who are at risk of contracting these diseases.
The country’s president Benigno S Aquino III urged the public, particularly the parents, to make sure that their children were vaccinated.
He said about 11 million to 13 million people in the country are at risk from measles, polio and rubella.
The nationwide vaccination campaign, which targets children of 9 to 59 months, is a follow-up to the 2011 Measles Rubella Supplemental Immunisation.
It aims to eliminate the threat of measles and rubella, identify high-risk communities for routine immunization through the ‘Reaching Every Sub-village’ strategy, and maintain the county’s polio-free status.
The campaign will run until September 30.
Procedures
All health centres throughout the country will serve as vaccination posts and offer free vaccines to the children, according to the Department of Health.
A door-to-door checking and vaccination will follow to verify if there were missed children. Finger-marking through indelible ink of the child will be used to confirm if a child has been vaccinated.
Each vaccine against measles and rubella costs P31 ($0.71) while each oral polio vaccine costs 8 pesos.
Treating a child with measles could cost from 15,000 pesos to 30,000 pesos in the Philippines, according to Department of Health officials.
The Philippine star
LINGAYEN: Three people were killed and four wounded when a policeman shot them inside the Pangasinan National High School compound here at around 4pm yesterday.
Acedillo Sison, a teacher, Florenda Flores and a still unidentified person died at the scene.
Juliet Molano, Lina Sison, Ferdinand Gutierrez and Jovito Jimenez suffered injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital.
PO3 Domino Alipio, who was assigned at the Anda police station, was arrested after the shooting. A calibre 45 and improvised carbine were seized from him.
Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr ordered Senior Superintendent Reynaldo Biay, officer-in-charge, to conduct a thorough investigation on the incident.
The Philippine star
