PH exits top 20 countries with ‘zero-dose’ kids —DOH

OLONGAPO CITY — The Philippines' immunization campaign has shown significant improvement in the past year, with the country finally exiting the list of the top 20 countries with the most "zero-dose" children, the Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines "zero-dose" children as those who have missed out on any vaccination, who "lack access to or are never reached by routine immunization services."

Citing data from the WHO/UNICEF estimates of national immunization coverage (WUENIC), DOH’s Disease Prevention and Control Bureau director Dr. Gerna Manatad noted that the Philippines in 2021 ranked 5th among zero-dose countries, after India, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Ethiopia. 

In the WUENIC 2023 data, the Philippines was no longer in the top 20 list of countries with the most number of unvaccinated children. The country’s new rank, however, was not specified. 

While this was considered “good news,” Manatad said that the DOH continues aiming for 95% immunization coverage by 2025. 

“We have seen that there is good news that through the efforts of local implementers in the barangay health centers, city health offices, and the whole of the National Immunization Program, in the latest WHO and UNICEF estimates of national immunization coverage in 2023, the Philippines progressed from ranking as fifth in 2021 to no longer being on top of the top 20 list in 2023,” she said in a media conference. 

“So this is good news, and we hope that we can sustain through our activities and our partnerships,” she added. 

A fully immunized child is someone who has received one dose of bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine for tuberculosis; three doses of oral polio vaccine (OPV); three doses of diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Hib, and Hepatitis B (pentavalent) vaccine; and two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa previously lamented the Philippines' status as being 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.

According to the Health chief, the Philippines’ immunization rates have remained low since 2013. 

“Our fully immunized child had been below 80% yearly and our fully immunized child target of 95% is a far-off target,” Herbosa said. 

With this, the DOH has targeted to completely immunize 95% of Filipino children against vaccine-preventable diseases like polio, measles, and rubella. — BM, GMA Integrated News