Baguio City Ramps Up Measles Vaccination Drive Amidst Heavy Rains

BAGUIO CITY — With measles vaccination coverage stuck at just 20 percent, the City Health Services Office (CHSO) is taking its campaign to the doorsteps of families as it races to immunize more children amid weeks of heavy rains. City health officials said additional workers from the Department of Health (DOH), CHSO and city health centers are being mobilized for house-to-house vaccinations across the city’s barangays, as the campaign remains far below its 95-percent target. City Health Officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes attributed the low turnout to the prolonged rains, which have hampered vaccination activities. “We will be saturating all our barangays through the help of our other health workers,” she said. The DOH’s Measles-Rubella Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR-SIA) seeks to vaccinate at least 95 percent of children aged 6 months to below 5 years old, a coverage level considered crucial in limiting the spread of the highly contagious disease. Brillantes appealed to parents and guardians who remain hesitant to have their children vaccinated, warning that failure to immunize them could leave them vulnerable to measles and its complications. She also warned that unvaccinated children could pose a risk to others, particularly those with weaker immune systems. Health workers are expected to intensify the campaign in the coming week, with the CHSO hoping to substantially raise vaccination coverage through expanded outreach and house-to-house visits. Meanwhile, records from the CHSO City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU), under Medical Officer IV Donnabel Panes, showed that Baguio has recorded 22 measles cases, with no deaths reported. Sixteen of the patients were male and six were female, with a median age of 1 year.—Maureen Matayew / Contributor /mr