ILOILO City – More than 38,000 children in Western Visayas remain unvaccinated, prompting the Department of Health (DOH) to call for stronger support from local government units (LGUs) to boost immunization coverage and protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases.
As of February 2026, the region has fully immunized 60,062 children, equivalent to a Fully Immunized Child (FIC) coverage of 64.93 percent — well below the government’s 95-percent target. Of the region’s 93,049 eligible children aged zero to 12 months, another 5,758 are partially immunized or undervaccinated.
Iloilo Province recorded the highest number of fully immunized children with 27,483, followed by Capiz (9,278), Antique (8,068), Aklan (6,400), Iloilo City (6,364), and Guimaras (2,469).
However, a huge number of children remain unvaccinated, with Iloilo Province accounting for 15,304, followed by Capiz (6,862), Aklan (5,573), Antique (5,161), Iloilo City (4,144), and Guimaras (1,546).
Dr. Jose Martin Atienza, immunization program coordinator of DOH Region 6, acknowledged the region’s gains but stressed that major challenges continue to hamper efforts to achieve the national target.
“We face numerous reasons why achieving our target has been difficult. Nonetheless, we remain committed to reaching our goal of 95% fully immunized children,” Atienza said.
Among the biggest obstacles, Atienza cited inadequate support from LGUs, particularly in policy formulation and funding for the National Immunization Program.
“Currently, the support we receive for programs such as the National Immunization Program is insufficient. More effort is needed in policy creation and financing to enhance vaccination coverage,” he stressed.
He also pointed to the lack of adequately trained vaccinators, saying this affects service delivery and overall program implementation.
“Not everyone is adequately trained to administer vaccines, which poses significant challenges to our strategic planning and program management,” he explained.
Atienza added that vaccine logistics remain centralized under the DOH Central Office, limiting the ability of LGUs to procure vaccines independently even when funds are available.
He likewise raised concerns over underreporting of vaccination accomplishments by health workers.
“We also have cases of under reporting. Kon kaisa, bisan napabakunahan na nila ang bata, may mga instances kon kaisa nga wala nagasaka ang report, gina-store ang data. Kita sa public health, if it’s not reported, it means, it is not implemented or conducted. So, it’s important gid nga i-report sang aton nga health workers ang ila accomplishment,” Atienza reminded.
Limited awareness among parents about the required vaccination schedule also continues to affect immunization coverage.
“Ang isa gid sa pinaka dako nga rason is the limited information…may mga family gihapon, may mga parents nga wala sila kabalo nga dapat five times magbalik ang ila bata sa health centers para complete ang vaccines nga mabaton. So, gina-remind gid namon ang mga parents and caregivers nga ini nga mga bakuna nga Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), Pentavalent Vaccine (Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hib, Hepatitis B), Oral Poliovirus Vaccine (OPV), Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) or Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine, ang dapat mabaton sang aton nga mga bata for them to be fully-immunized against most common vaccine-preventable diseases,” he stressed.
To close the immunization gap, Atienza underscored the need for aggressive community outreach, including house-to-house vaccination efforts and continued capacity-building for health workers.
“One of the best strategies to ensure we reach the 95% target is to visit every purok to immunize unvaccinated and undervaccinated children. We aim to enhance the skills of health workers through capacity-building activities to achieve this goal,” he stressed./PN
