‘Children’s fear of injection hindering immunization drive’

SUBIC, Zambales, Philippines – Don’t scare your children with needles, the Department of Health (DOH) urged parents yesterday.

Floro Orata, Health Education and Promotion Officer III of DOH-Cagayan Valley, said children’s fear of injection has become a hindrance to the agency’s immunization drive.

“I supervised nine vaccination teams during the immunization activities last February and you would always see children crying while being vaccinated. They are afraid of needles because their parents used it to scare them,” he said during the department’s media seminar here dubbed “Health Issues 102.”

He said it turned out many of these parents had the same experience with their own parents.

“It is becoming a cycle. We are appealing to parents not to scare their kids with needles because you are only depriving them of the life-saving benefits of vaccination,” he said.

Orata assured the public that injections are less painful now due to modern technology.

Supplemental vaccination

The DOH is set to hold a month-long nationwide supplemental vaccination campaign starting Monday to contain the spread of measles in the country.

The goal is to vaccinate at least 11 million children aged nine months to below five against measles and rubella and 13 million children aged zero to below five against polio.

In her presentation, DOH-Expanded Program on Immunization national nurse coordinator Dulce Elfa said they hope to vaccinate 95 percent of the targeted children to develop “herd immunity” against measles.