By NELSON V. CONSTANTINO
Editor-in-Chief
STAKEHOLDERS in Northern Mindanao’s public health and immunization program recently converged in Cagayan de Oro to reaffirm their commitments at raising awareness and thereby bolstering the well-being of children in the region.
Held on September 10 at Pearlmont Hotel, the 1st Northern Mindanao Immunization Summit, hosted by Center for Health Development (CHD) of Northern Mindanao with the support from UNICEF and Relief International, has rallied the different sectors’
unified and collective efforts to address the region’s immunization challenges.
The inaugural event brought together key figures from the Department of Health (DOH), local government units (LGUs), partner government agencies, and other key stakeholders.
The sectors involved in this drive have expressed their respective commitments in safeguarding the health and well-being of the region’s children through strengthened immunization efforts.
Specifically, the summit aimed to address the continued decline in immunization due to the recent pandemic and position vaccination as a long-term investment for a resilient healthcare system.
Additionally, the event also gathered public commitments from decision-makers to advocate for zero-dose children and mobilize resources from government and partner agencies to close immunization gaps and protect the most vulnerable communities.
For the past 30 years, there had been significant decline in routine immunization worldwide, with the Philippines ranking fifth globally in zero-dose children, according to UNICEF’s 2023 State of the World’s Children Report.
Likewise, the country recorded one million children who missed essential vaccines which sparked a child survival crisis worsened by conflicts, food insecurity, extreme weather, and economic shocks.
To address this, the Department of Health launched the Chikiting Ligtas: Measles-Rubella Oral Polio Vaccine Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR-OPV SIA), which aimed to vaccinate millions of children during World Immunization Week.
While the campaign reached many previously missed children, the immunization gap remains a pressing issue.
In Northern Mindanao, only 70.40% of children were fully immunized in 2023. This revealed a significant coverage gaps despite earlier catch-up campaigns.
The summit also aimed to mobilize local and regional stakeholders to refocus efforts on routine immunization and address the region’s zero-dose children crisis and ensuring that every child, particularly in underserved areas, receives life-saving vaccines.
