AS SCHOOLS across Iloilo Province reopen for in-person classes, so too do the doors open wide to a host of preventable public health threats. The Provincial Health Office (IPHO) has rightly sounded the alarm: the convergence of unvaccinated children, enclosed learning spaces, and daily commutes creates the perfect storm for the spread of communicable diseases. Yet the response, so far, remains tepid — dangerously so.
Dr. Rodney Labis of the IPHO’s Health Service Delivery Division has raised a warning: children are now at greater risk of infection due to their increased social exposure. Diseases like influenza, measles, chickenpox, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, and even rabies — all of which are preventable through vaccination — are looming threats in school communities. But how many learners are fully protected?
The Department of Health’s national immunization program provides vaccines against tuberculosis (BCG), hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, pneumonia, meningitis, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella — all available for free at local rural health units (RHUs). Yet accessibility and availability do not always translate into uptake, especially in far-flung barangays where health education and follow-up are inconsistent at best.
In Iloilo, the risk is not theoretical. The IPHO continues to report cases of dengue, which remains endemic, with students advised to apply mosquito repellent and avoid peak mosquito hours. The point here is that even one missed vaccine could mean the difference between a mild case and a life-threatening complication.
Compounding the problem is the legacy of disrupted health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many children missed their routine immunization between zero to 12 months or catch-up doses up to 59 months. The consequences of those missed appointments are beginning to surface now, just as face-to-face classes return in full swing.
Iloilo’s local government units must act decisively. Now. Full-scale vaccination drives must be launched — not only in health centers but in the schools themselves, where learners can be reached directly. Barangay health workers and school personnel should collaborate in identifying unvaccinated children and ensuring that no learner is left behind.
The message to parents must also be loud and clear: vaccination is not optional. It is the first line of defense against an outbreak that could easily sweep through classrooms and households. Immunization, paired with proper hygiene, a healthy diet, and safe school environments, must be viewed as more than just as a health issue — it is an education issue, an equity issue, and a moral obligation.
We cannot afford to send Iloilo’s children back to school only to expose them to preventable diseases.
