ILOILO – With the opening of public schools across the province, the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) has raised concerns over the heightened risk of communicable diseases among learners and is urging parents to ensure their children are vaccinated and practice proper hygiene.
Dr. Rodney Labis, head of the IPHO Health Service Delivery Division, said the return of face-to-face classes exposes children to increased interactions with classmates and other individuals during travel to and from school, creating conditions ripe for the spread of infections.
“Children are more vulnerable now because of their daily exposure to others, whether in school or during commutes. We urge parents to make sure their children are fully immunized,” Labis said.
Among the diseases flagged by the health office are flu, chickenpox, hand, foot and mouth disease, Japanese encephalitis, tetanus, rabies, measles, and dengue — all of which are considered preventable through timely vaccination.
The IPHO emphasized that children who received routine immunization between zero to 12 months, or catch-up immunization up to 59 months, are better protected.
Vaccines administered under the national immunization program include:
* BCG – for tuberculosis
* Hepatitis B vaccine
* Pentavalent vaccine – for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, pneumonia, meningitis, and hepatitis
* Oral and inactivated polio vaccines
* Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine – for pneumonia and meningitis
* Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine
Additional recommended vaccines outside the national program include the annual flu vaccine and those against Japanese encephalitis, chickenpox, and rabies.
“These vaccines are available at your local rural health units (RHUs) or from pediatricians,” Labis said.
Beyond immunization, the IPHO is also pushing for non-pharmaceutical preventive measures such as a healthy diet, regular physical activity, vitamin supplementation, and good hygiene practices.
Students are reminded to wash their hands with soap and clean water, wear face masks in crowded areas, and observe physical distancing.
With dengue cases still a concern, Labis advised students to apply mosquito repellent, avoid mosquito-prone areas before 9 a.m. and after 4 p.m., and seek medical attention at the nearest RHU if symptoms such as high fever, headaches, muscle pain, rashes, or bleeding appear.
The IPHO is also focusing on learners’ mental health, reminding parents to limit gadget use, encourage social interaction, promote adequate sleep, and guide students to school-based teen centers where they can consult with trained guidance counselors when needed.
“Holistic health — physical and mental — is crucial now more than ever as children adjust to the demands of in-person learning,” Labis emphasized./PN
