ANTIQUE – Around 300 residents San Jose de Buenavista town received free vaccines through the Department of Health’s (DOH) “Big Catch-Up” immunization program during its kickoff ceremony on Wednesday, February 26.
Public Health Nurse Richel Joseco said the one-day event, held at Barangay Supa’s gymnasium, successfully reached its target beneficiaries, including infants, senior citizens, and pregnant women.
The program was made possible through the support of the DOH, UNICEF and Relief International, Joseco said.
Relief International, a global non-government organization assisting communities affected by conflict and climate change, allocated P490,000 for the program here.
The province’s capital town was selected due to its larger population and lower immunization rate of only 70 percent under the National Immunization Program (NIP) last year, she explained.
Vice Mayor Amor Dolor emphasized the significance of the initiative, particularly for pneumonia prevention.
“A single pneumonia vaccine costs around P3,000, so our residents are fortunate to receive it for free,” she said.
Municipal Council Committee on Health chairperson Aimee Jo Plameras-Tidon added that the local government aims to build a healthier community and has already passed an ordinance on first reading encouraging vaccinations, especially among children.
During the event, pregnant women received Tetanus Diphtheria (Td) vaccines, infants (one year and below) were given Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), DPT-HepB-Hib, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), and Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccines, while senior citizens received Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine (PPV23). (PNA)
