Davao City expands SBI in malls to boost child vaccination

TO GIVE children better protection against vaccine-preventable diseases, the Municipal Health Office (CHO) has called on parents to vaccinate their children under the “School-Based Immunization (SBI) Expansion” » which is taking place this month in shopping centers.

Dr. Joy Espina, CHO’s Child Health City coordinator, during the I-Speak Media forum on Thursday, said the SBI program began in November last year, but due to the low participation rate of children having benefited from vaccinations, they started running an “SBI Expansion” Campaign in shopping malls.

Vaccination is scheduled for January 18, 19, 25 and 26 at the Abreeza Shopping Center in Bajada.

In addition to the flu and pneumococcal vaccines administered at malls, Espina said children ages 9 to 14 can receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, and 1st and 7th graders can receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. years can receive the one against measles, rubella, tetanus and diphtheria (MRTD).

Dr. Analiza Malubay, municipal coordinator of the national immunization program, said the low participation rate of children receiving vaccines was due to parental hesitancy.

“A Cuban man found his source on social networks. So whether you like it or not there is fake news, so Uban man gud nga parents did it sila mag-base, that’s why you are hesitant to get vaccinated (Some parents get their information on social media. So whether you like it or not, there is a lot of fake news, and some parents base their opinions on that (social media), which is why our vaccine hesitancy is high) “, she declared.

She said only 6,073 of 9,378 first-graders in the first district had received the MRTD vaccine as of December 2024. Of 10,235 first-graders in the second district, only 4,228 had received the vaccine. In the third district, out of 11,182 first graders, only 5,091 have been vaccinated.

Only 3,829 of the 10,796 7th grade students in the first district have received the MRTD vaccine. In the second district, only 3,117 of 9,219 students received the MRTD vaccine, while in the third district, out of 11,075 students, only 5,128 were vaccinated.

For the HPV vaccine among 4th graders, only 1,410 of 4,561 were vaccinated in the first district. In the second district, only 1,680 of 5,091 fourth-graders were vaccinated, while only 2,234 of 5,560 students were vaccinated in the third district.

She said vaccination at malls is for those who have not benefited from vaccinations at their schools, especially since SBI is only carried out in public schools.

Espina also encouraged parents to vaccinate their children, saying children’s immunity from vaccines they received when they were younger wanes over time.

“Kasagaran nabakunhan naman gyud atong gagmay mais naga-wane ang ana immunity. But pasabot nagababa ang atoang resistensya maong nagahatag ta og booster doze in Grade 1 and Grade 7 (Usually, children are vaccinated when they were still infants, but their immunity decreases. This means that our resistance decreases, so we give doses of booster, especially in grades 1 and 7),” she said.

“Kung wala ta naka-avail sa kato’ng SBI, we can also go to our nearest center. And for private schools, ongoing talks na po ang mga para open pod nato sa ila ang SBI (If we have not taken advantage of our SBI, we can also go to the nearest center. And for private schools , talks are underway so that we can open our SBI to them),” she said. CIO