Early immunization among children pushed by doctors

Several health professionals on Tuesday underscored the importance of getting children immunized within their first 1,000 days to be better protected against communicable vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs.)

Dr. Fatima Gimenez, Philippine Pediatric Society’s immunization committee chair, stressed that the child’s first 1,000 days is a “critical window of opportunity” wherein decisions and actions during this period may cause “irreversible damage” to his or her life.

“Immunization should be done before the child is exposed to viruses and bacteria that cause VPDs. It is critical for these vaccinations to be completed and on schedule during the child’s first 1,000 days of life to lower risks of either acquiring the infection or spreading the infection, not just with immediate family members but with the larger community,” she said.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said earlier that every child needs to be vaccinated by one dose of Bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine for tuberculosis; three doses of oral polio vaccine (OPV); three doses of diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTP), Hib, and Hepatitis B vaccine; and two doses of measles, mumps, rubella vaccine.

Gimenez said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many infants missed their scheduled immunizations, either due to lockdowns, fears of being infected with COVID-19, or other socio-economic constraints.

“Now that the COVID-19 health emergency has been lifted, all the more that we should intensify immunization in the first 1,000 days for all newborns to be protected from communicable VPDs as the world goes back to pre-pandemic normal, and for those who missed their vaccinations to catch up on immunizations,” she added.

Dr. Vicente Belizario, former dean and practicing professor at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Public Health, said that five years since Republic Act No. 11148 or the “Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act” was enacted, the Filipino children’s immunization rates remained low.

He thus called on local government units to beef up efforts to immunize children in their first 1,000 days.

“While national government defines the overall policy and makes vaccines available, localized implementation strategies should be deployed to ensure that these life-saving vaccines are administered in ways that overcome the unique challenges of parents in their locality in getting their infants vaccinated on schedule,” Belizario explained.

For her part, Gimenez said parents should make use of the government’s vaccination program, which offers free routine immunizations, to help protect their children against VPDs.

In August, the Department of Health (DOH) announced that it is targeting to completely immunize 95% of Filipino children against vaccine-preventable diseases like polio, measles, and rubella.

Herbosa cited data from the National Immunization Coverage 2022, saying the Philippines remained among the top five countries with the highest number of zero-dose children globally and one of the greatest contributors to the number of zero-dose children in East Asia and the Pacific Region.

Even adolescents, the DOH previously said, should also keep themselves protected against VPDs through booster shots even if they were already immunized when they were kids. —VAL, GMA Integrated News