The City Government of Sorsogon, through the City Health Office and in partnership with the Department of Health and the Department of Education, launched Bakuna Eskwela 2024 in fitting ceremonies on October 7, 2024 at the Sorsogon City Hall. City Mayor Ma. Ester E. Hamor, City Councilor Mark Jayson D. Jamisola, City Health Officer Dr. Rolando E. Dealca and City Schools Division Superintendent Jose L. Doncillo expressed support to the school-based immunization campaign, exhorting health workers and school officials to meet or surpass the 95% target set by the DoH. They underscored the importance of healthy Sorsoganons in building a healthy Sorsogon City.
In his message, Provincial Health Office representative Dr. Louis Miguel L. Doloiras gave the assurance that vaccines are safe and effective in preventing diseases. He encouraged support for the Bakuna Eskwela as well as other public health programs.
To round up the Bakuna Eskwela rollout, health workers conducted a ceremonial vaccination on pupils handpicked from schools in the East District. Vice-Mayor Mark Eric Dioneda, City Councilors Thess Gonzalez, Angelu Ravanilla, Lester Lubiano, Abegail Dioneda and SK Federation President Matthew Lopez also led the launch attendees, along with Dr. Edric Vargas of PHO-Technical Services, Provincial Health Education and Promotion Officer-designate Regina V. Gonzalgo, City Administrator Atty. Mark Gerald Guirindola and the district health officers.
In efforts to meet the target, healthcare workers from the City Health Office and from the DepEd conducted SBI orientations in public schools all over the City. Health Education and Promotion Officer-designate Sophia D. Dematera led the team of health workers in demand-generation and information and education campaign activities.
Bakuna Eskwela aims to inoculate schoolchildren against vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus and cervical cancer due to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Target eligible population are pupils in Grades 1, 4 and 7. Grades 1 and 7 learners will receive measles-rubella and tetanus-diphtheria vaccines while female Grade 4 learners are set to receive HPV vaccines.
The DoH hopes to immunize two million Filipino children over a two-month period. To date, vaccine coverage is at a low 34 percent, with the need to vaccinate 1.2 million schoolchildren nationwide to meet the target. Data from the World Health Organization show that immunization prevents between 3.5 million and five million deaths every year.