Duterte Orders ‘Vigorous’ Campaign for Immunization

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered a “vigorous” campaign to encourage parents to immunize their children against deadly diseases, according to Malacañang.

Duterte’s directive was made during his meeting with Cabinet officials on February 7 at the Malacañang Palace.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement that the Department of Health’s (DOH) immunization program was tackled, and the president directed to strengthen the campaign promoting the complete immunization for children.

Ensuring the health of Filipino children

Duterte’s order came after the DOH’s announcement that there is an outbreak of highly contagious measles in Metro Manila and Central Luzon.

The rise in measles cases came as a result of the public’s distrust in the government’s immunization program. This was due to the controversy involving the Dengvaxia vaccine, which was pointed as the cause of the deaths of some Filipino children.

After the Dengvaxia controversy, immunization coverage dropped to 40 percent in 2018 from around 70 percent in the past few years.