THE Dengvaxia scare is still the main reason of the low turnout of parents allowing their babies to be given Measles Containing Vaccines (MCV), said a city official.
Doctor Julinda Acosta, Davao City Health Office (CHO) technical division chief, said in an interview with VoxPop Davao that the low turnout indicates fear and lack of trust from parents with the immunization programs of the government following the outbreak of dengvaxia case.
The CHO recorded only 57.1 percent or 26,630 infants reaching one year old were given MCV from January to December 2018 out of the total target population of 46,663.
"We want to educate the parents, especially in far-flung areas in the city, that vaccination and immunization given to them for free is not Dengvaxia," Acosta said.
In the data presented by Eldy Sombilon, technical division nurse coordinator, the lowest turnout of MCV were in the areas of Sasa with only 30.2 percent; Bunawan with only 35.1 percent; and Paquibato with only 36.7 percent of its total population.
In 2017, the CHO had given MCV to 35,966 infants out of 45,794 total target population or 78.5 percent.
"Dili unta mahadlok ang mga parents kay sayang kaayo ang mga vaccines and sayang pud ang opportunity na ma-use nila ang protection (I hope that they will not fear the vaccines anymore because it's a waste not to use the vaccines, which is a protection from diseases)," Acosta said.
She said they already did everything to inform the public that the vaccines given for free is not dengvaxia; however, there is still fear shown by parents by not giving consent to their children.
Acosta said even their school-based immunization program has a low turn-out despite the effort to explain that the program is not using Dengvaxia. The CHO tapped the teachers to explain to the parents that the vaccines are safe.
Out of 32,528 grade one pupils in the city, only 12,784 or 39.3 percent were allowed by their parents to get Measles and Rubella (MR), while only 13,146 or 40 percent get Tetanus and Diphtheria.
With the latest report from the City Epidemiological Surveillance Unit under CHO, there are 22 measles death and 602 suspected measles cases from January to December 2018.
