Central Visayas dengue immunization to start before year ends

Region included after Gwen lobby

CEBU, Philippines - The proposal to roll out the  school-based dengue immunization program in Central Visayas would proceed before the year ends or by the first quarter of 2017.

Dr. Shelbay Blanco,  Department of Health-7 Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit cluster head, said DOH officials initially decided to postpone the expansion of the program to include Central Visayas, but with a little lobbying, health authorities opted to continue with their earlier promise.

The DOH officials would have wanted to complete first the dengue vaccination in the three pilot areas in Luzon before introducing the program to Central Visayas.

Blanco, though, said that despite the higher possibility for the program to continue, the plan is yet to be handled by the DOH head office and has not yet been cascaded to DOH-7.

"For now, there is a plan to push through with the expansion of the dengue vaccination in Region 7 (Central Visayas) but the planning process of the expansion and its implementation is still at the Central Office," he told The FREEMAN over the phone yesterday.

He explained that planning of pilot health programs is slated first at the head office before regional health officials are engaged with the preparations and the eventual implementation.

"Once the planning (at DOH head office) is finalized, the Technical Working Group at the regional level will then meet with DOH officials for further discussion to ensure that there will be a smooth-sailing implementation of the program," he said.

There is, however, no definite date yet set for the implementation. Blanco projected for the dengue vaccination in Central Visayas to be launched anytime at the end of this year or in the first quarter of 2017.

Meanwhile, dengue cases in the region continue to rise, which prompted local health authorities to place Central Visayas on high alert status. This means that programs are laid out not only to control mosquito population but also to control the number of dengue cases from rising.

According to World Health Organization research, there is no specific dengue therapeutics or treatment but the newly-developed dengue vaccine has represented a major advance in the control of the disease.

Before it will be introduced more widely in the country, however, dengue vaccination has only been tested in three regions in the Philippines that have been identified as having the most number of dengue cases. These are regions 3 (Central Luzon,) 4-A (CALABARZON), and the National Capital Region. Region 7 followed the row of regions with the most number of dengue cases.

But, Blanco said, cases from Region 7 this year had been increasing and sometimes surpassed the figures of NCR. This prompted ODH officials to announce last June that Central Visayas would be included in the school-based dengue immunization program.

Once the program is set, Grade 4 pupils or those aged nine years old and above in all public schools in Central Visayas may avail of the free dengue vaccines.

DOH-initiated dengue immunization on the first three pilot regions started last April to until June for the first dose. The second dose will be given to the same students this month until December. The last dose is set to be given April to June next year.

Blanco said DOH official initially decided to complete first the dengue vaccination in the three pilot areas. But during the turn of DOH to defend its budget during the House of REpresentatives' budget hearing, Cebu Congressman Gwendolyn Garcia requested that DOH also prioritize Central Visayas.  (FREEMAN)