IMMUNIZATION. Mayor Elmer Untaran administers the oral polio vaccine (OPV) to his grandson during the ceremonial kickoff of the immunization program “Chikiting Ligtas” in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique on May 3, 2023. Municipal Health Officer Dr. Melba Billones said in an interview Tuesday (May 16) that they are doubling their efforts with house-to-house campaigns to realize their target. (Courtesy of San Jose de Buenavista LGU)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The municipality of San Jose de Buenavista is doubling efforts to reach its target in the “Chikiting Ligtas” measles-rubella and oral polio vaccine supplemental immunization activity (MR-OPV SIA).
Municipal health officer Dr. Melba Billones said house-to-house immunization teams were deployed starting Saturday to realize their target of immunizing 6,277 children aged nine to 59 months old children against measles-rubella and 7,343 children aged zero to 59 months old against polio.
“We have doubled our strategy by having fixed sites and at the same time doing house-to-house immunization,” Billones said in an interview Tuesday.
She admitted that their municipality has a low turnout but they will do their best to reach their target.
Based on data provided by the Antique Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) as of May 15, San Jose de Buenavista has a 20.44-percent achievement on MR and 21.50 percent on OPV since they started with the activity on May 2.
“We have health personnel assigned at the fixed sites (Rural Health Unit and Barangay Health Stations) while others do the house-to-house campaign,” she said.
She said that for the fixed site immunization, a health team is deployed at the Robinsons Place Antique every Friday while the IPHO is on duty every Tuesday and Thursday.
To date, the province of Antique has immunized 18,178 or 31.09 percent of the targeted 58,472 children for MR and 21,820 or 31.92 percent of the 68,339 target for OPV. (PNA)
