DOH: Teens need to get boosted vs. vaccine-preventable diseases

The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday reminded adolescents that they need to keep themselves protected against vaccine-preventable diseases through booster shots even if they were already immunized when they were kids.

“Merong mga bakuna na bumababa ang proteksyon pagkatapos ng mga ilang taon kagaya na lang ng diphtheria, pertussis, at tetano. Kaya ang sinasabi natin, dapat meron siyang booster at least every five years,” Dr. Janis Asuncion Bunoan-Macazo of the DOH Disease Prevention and Control Bureau’s Child, Adolescent, and Maternal Health Division explained during a Kapihan forum.

(There are vaccines whose protection wanes after a few years, such as diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus. That's why we say adolescents should have a booster at least every five years.)

According to Macazo, adolescents aged 10 to 19 need to get boosters for measles-rubella vaccine, and tetanus diphtheria vaccine.

They could also acquire boosters for vaccines for Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Influenza, and Varicella or chickenpox from private pediatricians.

“Kapag sinabing booster, meron na po siya (bakuna) nung bata pa siya tapos dadagdag lang natin para magising ‘yung kanyang immune system…magising o kaya madagdagan ang kanyang proteksyon,” the medical professional said.

(When we say booster, the person already had the vaccine when he was young, but we just add a booster to wake his immune system up or increase his protection.)

Citing 2022 data, Macazo said that teenagers comprised 40 out of every 100 diptheria cases; 13 out of every 100 measles cases; and 11 out of 100 whooping cough cases.

She said additional vaccines against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and COVID-19 may also be received by the said age group.

Before turning one year old, Macazo said a child needs to have one dose of BCG vaccine (tuberculosis); three doses of Pentavalent vaccine (hepatitis B, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, H. Influenza B); three doses of oral polio vaccine; and two doses of MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella).

Last week, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said the DOH 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 most 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.—LDF, GMA Integrated News