THE United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) called for improved routine immunization in the Philippines during the observance of World Immunization Week.
Results of the National Demographic Health Survey, it said, showed that achieving the global target of 95-percent immunization coverage is feasible. Unicef said data from Region 1 (Ilocos) is proof but added that targeted efforts are still needed in remote and underserved areas.
The 95 percent is a global target that aims to reach herd immunity against highly contagious diseases, most notably measles.
“Vaccines have protected generation after generation. But the next generation depends on whether we reach every child today, especially those who remain unvaccinated. We must close the gaps that leave children unprotected by ensuring reliable vaccine supply and quality services and by building trust and demand in communities so that families choose protection for their children,” said Kyungsun Kim, Unicef representative in the Philippines, on Tuesday.
Unicef noted disparities in immunization coverage across income groups, with basic antigen coverage highest among the richest households at 88 percent and lowest among the poorest at 66 percent.
It said this underscores the need to focus on targeted efforts to ensure that vaccines reach underserved communities. “Sustaining national gains will require closing persistent equity gaps across place and income. Parents may not have enough money to get their children to the health clinics for their vaccination." This year’s World Immunization Week theme, “For every generation, vaccines work,” underscores the need to sustain progress in protecting Filipino families from vaccine-preventable diseases, Unicef said.
“Vaccines are among the most effective public health interventions, having saved an estimated 154 million lives over the past 50 years. Since 1976, the Philippines’ National Immunization Program has made substantial progress in policy and governance, disease elimination, and vaccination coverage,” it added.
