Let’s give it a shot: Free vaccines available at local health centers

MANILA, Philippines – This World Immunization Week, the World Health Organization marks 50 years since it launched the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) to ensure vaccine accessibility and availability to all children.

With the rise in whooping cough and measles cases across the country, the Department of Health (DOH) encourages the public to participate in its immunization campaign against vaccine-preventable diseases, reminding them to get a variety of free vaccines from their local health centers.

In the Philippines, the Expanded Program on Immunization was established in 1976 to ensure that infants, children, and mothers have access to age-recommended vaccines.

According to Republic Act No. 10152 or the “Mandatory Infants and Children Health Immunization Act of 2011”, mandatory basic immunization is to be given for free at any government hospital or health center to infants and children up to five years of age.

Here is a list of the different vaccines available for free in the Philippines.

BCG vaccine

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine be given to infants at birth for protection against tuberculosis (TB), an infection that most often affects the lungs.

It also protects them against meningitis and disseminated TB in children, as the disease can affect other parts of the body like the brain, bones, joints, and other internal organs.

Hepatitis-B vaccine

The Hepatitis-B vaccine should be given at birth for prevention against the virus, which can develop into long-term infections in the liver, such as liver damage and liver cancer.

Pentavalent vaccine

The Pentavalent vaccine is a 5-in-1 vaccine that protects children against these five diseases: Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenza type B. This vaccine is given in three doses, from 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age.

Pertussis or whooping cough causes coughing spells, which can easily spread among people through coughs and sneezes because of airborne droplets. With recent reports of pertussis outbreaks across cities and provinces in the Philippines, immunization through the Pentavalent vaccine is pertinent.

PCV vaccine

The PCV or Pneumococcal Conjugate vaccine prevents pneumococcal diseases which are infections caused by a bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae, or pneumococcus. Examples of such diseases are pneumonia and meningitis, which are common causes of sickness and death among children below 2 years old. This vaccine is also given in three doses, at a recommendation of 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age.

Oral Polio vaccine and Inactivated Polio vaccine (Poliovirus)

The two vaccines serve as protection against the poliovirus, a disease that causes permanent paralysis or loss of mobility in the limbs and, in severe cases, the paralysis of the breathing muscles which can lead to death. The oral polio vaccine is given in three doses, recommended at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age while the inactivated polio vaccine is given at 14 weeks.

MMR vaccine

The MMR vaccine is a preventive vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella and the complications that come with these diseases. It must be given in two doses: at nine months and one year old.

Measles is a highly contagious disease with symptoms that include high fever, runny nose, cough, red and watery eyes, and rashes. After the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao health ministry declared a measles outbreak within the region, a free measles vaccination campaign was launched in the region.

Aside from children, the government also provides immunization healthcare to its senior population. In 2020, the DOH issued Memorandum No. 2020-0384, announcing the senior citizens’ free access to pneumococcal and influenza immunization services.

The memorandum also states that all senior citizens who are 60 years old and above are provided with one dose of pneumococcal vaccine throughout their lifetime and one dose of influenza vaccine every year. All eligible senior citizens are to be assessed and interviewed before immunization for precautions. – Isabella Baldado/Rappler.com

SOURCES:

Isabella Baldado is a Digital Communications volunteer at Rappler and a speech communication student at the University of the Philippines Diliman. This article was done under the supervision of Rappler staff and her copy was vetted by editors.

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