ILOILO – Thousands of infants in Iloilo Province remain dangerously exposed to deadly but preventable diseases, as only 17.08% received full routine immunization in the first quarter of 2025 — a significant shortfall from the Department of Health’s (DOH) 95% target.
The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) cited several factors contributing to the low coverage, including widespread vaccine hesitancy fueled by misinformation and conspiracy theories circulating on social media.
Data from the IPHO revealed that only 6,745 children aged 0 to 12 months were fully immunized from January to March out of the 39,488 eligible children across the province.
This means the vast majority of infants remain vulnerable to preventable illnesses such as tuberculosis, polio, hepatitis, pneumonia, and measles.
“The biggest challenge is still vaccine hesitancy due to false information. We are working hard to counter this with proper health education,” said Dr. Rodney Labis, head of IPHO’s Health Service Delivery Division.
He urged parents and caregivers to have their children vaccinated.
“Just go to your Barangay Health Station or coordinate with your midwives and nurses. Vaccines are free, safe, and proven to protect children from deadly diseases,” said Labis.
Routine immunization includes the following vaccines: Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) for tuberculosis, Hepatitis B, Pentavalent for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, pneumonia, meningitis and hepatitis, Oral and Inactivated Polio Vaccines, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, and the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Labis acknowledged that Iloilo’s routine immunization coverage has steadily declined in recent years — from 74% in 2020, to 70% in 2021, 63% in 2022, 69% in 2023, and back to 74% in 2024 — never reaching the DOH’s ideal 95%.
Among the municipalities, Oton (331), Pototan (322), and Passi City (312) recorded the highest number of fully immunized children in Q1, while towns like New Lucena (42), Tubungan (55), and San Rafael (48) reported the lowest.
Other barriers to infant vaccination, according to Labis, include migration of families, discrepancies in population projections by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and poor access to health services in far-flung areas due to high transportation costs.
Some children also miss vaccinations because they are sick during scheduled visits or because some local government units (LGUs) lack health personnel focused on immunization.
Temporary shortages of vaccines from the DOH have also disrupted rollout efforts in some areas.
To address these issues, IPHO, in partnership with the DOH and World Health Organization (WHO), is conducting training for midwives, nurses, and barangay health workers (BHWs) to equip them with accurate information and skills to handle vaccine logistics and respond to hesitancy.
LGUs are being urged to improve inventory systems to monitor real-time vaccine stocks and to allocate local funds to support the immunization program — particularly for purchasing ancillary supplies like syringes and cotton, and providing transportation for health workers.
IPHO is also pushing local chief executives to hire more nurses and midwives to strengthen immunization efforts, including follow-up visits for missed children and school-based vaccinations.
These school-based campaigns, coordinated with the Department of Education (DepEd), include measles-rubella, tetanus-diphtheria, and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines for select grade levels.
“The health of our children depends on timely immunization. We call on all sectors — parents, LGUs, and community leaders—to act now before preventable diseases take their toll,” Labis stressed.
Here’s the breakdown of Iloilo’s 6,745 immunized children per municipality: Ajuy (175), Alimodian (102), Anilao (82), Badiangan (39), Balasan (106), Banate (108), Barotac Nuevo (211), Barotac Viejo (161), Batad (68), Bingawan (49), Cabatuan (240), Calinog (187), Carles (251), Concepcion (118), Dingle (115), Dueñas (91), Dumangas (195), Estancia (150), Guimbal (81), Igbaras (84), Janiuay (232), Lambunao (240), Leganes (100), Lemery (88), Leon (170), Maasin (129), Miag-ao (290), Mina (74), New Lucena (42), Oton (331), Passi City (312), Pavia (277), Pototan (322), San Dionisio (129), San Enrique (156), San Joaquin (150), San Miguel (80), San Rafael (48), Santa Barbara (227), Sara (355), Tigbauan (258), Tubungan (55), and Zarraga (67)./PN
