DoH, DepEd launch vaccination drive

THE Department of Health (DoH) and the Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday launched Bakuna Eskwela, a campaign to vaccinate school-age children to protect them from several diseases. Education Secretary Sonny Angara and Health Secretary Ted Herbosa led the campaign's kickoff at the Dr. A. Albert Elementary School in Manila. "With vaccination, we can ensure our learners stay in school and don't miss valuable learning opportunities. As Edcom's studies show, some schools lost as much as 53 days of instruction in a single school year due to various health-related issues," Angara said. Edcom is the Congressional Commission on Education. He said the national government, local government units, and schools "must come together to realize this initiative's potentials. We must protect our children today to ensure our country's healthy and bright future." The campaign aims to inoculate at least 3.8 million public school students in Grades 1 and 7 against measles, rubella, tetanus and diphtheria. It also targets the vaccination of 973,930 female public school students in Grade 4 against the human papillomavirus (HPV). The vaccine protects a person against cervical cancer, according to the DepEd. "Our goal is to create a safe environment and ensure health and well-being of every Filipino child. This October and November, we will unite and campaign together with the Department of Education to save our children from these vaccine-preventable diseases," Herbosa said. The campaign has a budget of P853 million and will be implemented until November 2024. Bakuna Eskwela is the revival of the school-based immunization program which was suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the DepEd said.