British envoy lauds Makati's door-to-door vaccination program

MANILA, Philippines - The "door-to-door" vaccination program of the Makati City government has earned praises from British Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Ahmad.

Ahmad lauded the Makati Health Department (MHD) for its vaccination program against measles, rubella and polio when he came to the city recently to personally oversee the door-to-door vaccination drive in the barangays. 

The ambassador said he was impressed with the direct involvement of barangay leaders in the immunization of young children using free vaccines donated by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and the Serum Institute to the country.

“I am impressed with the way barangay captains themselves have been involved in doing house-to-house work to optimize the coverage of the MR-OPV (measles-rubella and oral polio vaccine) outreach,” Ahmad said.

The British envoy, together with representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Health (DOH), witnessed the participation of the barangay chiefs and health workers of La Paz in District I and West Rembo in District II in the door-to-door inoculation drive. At the health centers in the said barangays, he personally administered the vaccine shots on some children.

“We want to do what we have achieved for polio globally and in the Philippines to make it as we are now, polio free. Hopefully, we’ll get to that situation where measles is just a thing of the past in the Philippines,” he said.

Prior to the actual monitoring, Dr. Diane Jocelyn Vaño, MHD chief, met with the delegation led by the ambassador at City Hall where she presented up-to-date reports on the status of measles, rubella and polio cases in the city, as well as the best practices the city health department has been implementing to keep them at low levels.

Vaño said the MHD vaccination team is aiming to reach 95 percent coverage or more for every barangay. She also said the door-to-door mass immunization campaign complements the existing Expanded Immunization Program of Makati, which covers immunizable childhood diseases, namely, measles, polio, diptheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B and tuberculosis.

In 2007, Makati enjoyed a measles-free status while in 2012, there was only one reported case. Nevertheless, the MHD chief noted that 10 measles cases in 2013 was a huge improvement from 109 cases recorded in 2003.

The month-long mass immunization campaign spearheaded by the DOH with the slogan, “Ligtas sa Tigdas: Magkaisa, Magpabakuna”, aims to immunize 11 million children with measles-rubella (MR) vaccine and more than 13 million with oral polio vaccine (OPV) throughout the country.

Under the program, all children ages nine to 59 months are each given one dose of MR vaccine while one dose of OPV is given to children from zero to 59 months old.

Measles is an infection of the respiratory system, immune system and skin caused by paramyxovirus. It is characterized by high fever, spots and rashes, loss of appetite, runny nose and red eyes. The infection lasts about seven to 10 days.

Rubella, commonly known as German measles, is a disease caused by rubella virus. It is characterized by rashes on the face down to the body, swollen lymph nodes and fever.

Polio is is an acute, viral, infectious disease caused by polio virus. It is characterized by fever, vomiting, back pain, or stiffness in the arms or legs. It usually results in the immobility of a person.

The preventive health care program of Makati is anchored on immunization and control of various diseases, environmental sanitation, reproductive health care and family planning seminars, nutrition programs for school and pre-school children, dental and laboratory services, and care for the elderly.

The city government of Makati has also made other remarkable achievements in the field of public health. Based on the latest report of the Nutrition Office under MHD, malnutrition rate in Makati this year dipped further, from 0.73 percent in 2013, to 0.64 percent.

Last August 11, Makati opened its first 24/7 primary health care facility at Palanan Health Center, which aims to deliver basic services to its residents round the clock, seven days a week. This initiative, probably the first of its kind in the country, was conceptualized to respond to the needs of daytime workers and their families who often have to go to Ospital ng Makati for primary health care services. This move also seeks to decongest the city-owned tertiary hospital.