BACOLOD City – The Department of Health (DOH) targets to administer vaccines to around 23,541 public school learners in this city.
The DOH’s school-based immunization program dubbed as “Bakuna Eskwela” kicked off yesterday, October 15, at Apolinario Mabini Elementary School.
According to the City Health Office (CHO), in-charge for the vaccination, they target to vaccinate 8,428 Grade 1 learners, 4,679 Grade 4 female learners, and 10,434 Grade 7 learners.
Grades 1 and 7 learners will be administered with the measles-rubella and tetanus-diphtheria vaccines while Grade 4 female learners, aged nine years old and above, will be given the first dose of human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine.
Councilor Claudio Jesus Puentevella, chairman of the City Council committee on health, who was in attendance during the kickoff ceremony, encouraged parents to allow their eligible children to avail of the vaccines.
The school-based immunization program is a national campaign of DOH and Department of Education to protect students from vaccine-preventable diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria, measles, rubella, and cervical cancer./PN