ILOILO City – City Health Office (CHO) personnel will be going around the metropolis to vaccinate children in August for its school-based immunization program.
In partnership with the Department of Health (DOH), measles-rubella and tetanus-diptheria (MR-TD) will be given to Grades 1 and 7 pupils.
“We assure the parents that all school health-related services of the DOH and CHO are safe, effective and free,” said Dr. Renilyn Reyes, DOH Western Visayas Family Health and Nutrition Cluster head.
Grade 4 female pupils will be given with human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
Kindergarten to Grade 12 will be dewormed.
Weekly Iron Folic Acid (WIFA) supplementation will be given to Grades 7 and 10 female pupils.
DOH Region targets to deworm 74,275 pupils; immunize 5,387 Grade 1 pupils; 3,720 Grade 4 female pupils; 6,409 Grade 7 pupils; and give the iron supplementation to 11,568 female adolescents in Iloilo City.
Iloilo City Schools Division Superintendent Clarissa Zamora encouraged the parents to have their children vaccinated.
The services are in line with Sustainable Development Goal No. 4 which is quality education, she said.
“The goal is inclusive and equitable quality education. When we say inclusive this must be education for all. We must maintain quality learners, quality teachers and conducive learning environment for students and teachers in our educational institutions. Quality learners mean that they have good health and their wellness are taken cared of by our educational leaders,” Zamora said.
According to DOH assistant regional director Maria Julia Villanueva, one of the department’s strategies is the integration of services to maximize efforts and this includes the provision of immunization and deworming of students and giving supplementation to female students. (Merianne Grace Ereñeta, Iloilo City PIO/PN)
