The City Health Office (CHO), in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH), conducted the first local summit for the National Immunization Program (NIP) to further strengthen the immunization program in the city.
The summit, held at the Apo View Hotel on September 17, was participated in by barangay captains or their kagawad for health from all 182 barangays in the city.
Doctors, Barangay Health Workers, representatives from the education sector, and other key stakeholders also attended the summit.
The NIP summit aims to promote full immunization of children and adults to control and prevent possible outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) such as measles, neonatal tetanus, pertussis, rubella, and diphteria.
Dr. Janis Olavides, Family Health Cluster Head of DOH-Davao, in a brief NIP situationer bared the challenges in supply and demand that often affects immunization roll-out including the lack of vaccine awareness and misinformation that often promotes vaccine hesitancy.
She added that it is the goal of the DOH to reach a 95 percent full vaccination rate in the whole Philippines.
The barangay captains were urged to communicate with their barangay and district health workers and ask about the status of immunization within their areas of responsibility. They were encouraged to provide necessary support in the immunization roll-out within their barangays.
Dr. Julinda Acosta, Technical Services Division Chief of the CHO, emphasized the importance of vaccinating children to ensure their healthy growth.
“Ang atoang immunization program naka-anchor aning policy statement nga tawhanong katungod sa isa ka bata nga siya mabakunahan ug kaning katungod na ito dapat dili ikawang sa isa ka bata (We anchored our immunization program to the policy statement that immunization is a basic human right of the children, therefore no child shall be deprived of it),” she said.
She said that following the implementation of the immunization program, there was a significant decrease in the cases of VPDs.
In Davao City, there have been no cases of diphtheria and rubella since 2023. There were only two laboratory-confirmed cases of measles in 2023, and one reported case this year. Eight cases of pertussis were recorded in 2023 and six in 2024.
“In Davao City, we were able to control the outbreak of pertussis because of the support of the barangay officials and atoang mga partners sa pag-himo sa atoang PIRI (We were able to control the outbreak of pertussis in Davao City because of the support of our barangay officials and partners in conducting PIRI),” Acosta shared.
PIRI means Periodic Intensification of Routine Immunization in the communities to ensure that all Dabawenyo children are fully immunized.
Acosta also reminded the public that the vaccines used during immunization are safe and are tested by the World Health Organization and the Food and Drugs Administration.
The vaccines are also effective as seen in the decrease in morbidity and mortality rates of VPDs. These are also given for free through the district and barangay health centers in all health districts in the city.
Dabawenyos are urged to have their children vaccinated and to complete immunization. Immunization is not only applicable to children but also to adults such as the flu vaccines and pneumococcal vaccines.
Dabawenyos may visit their barangay health centers or the district health centers for the CHO’s free immunization. CIO
