Parents may now avail of free routine vaccination shots for their babies aged zero to 23 months in Marikina City as the local government joined the "Chikiting Bakunation Days," a nationwide immunization program of the Department of Health (DOH) from May 30 to June 10.
The immunization program aims to provide babies with vaccines against various diseases such as polio, measles, hepatitis B, and pneumonia.
Parents may bring their babies to their respective barangay health centers to avail of the jabs.
Simultaneously, members of the city health office and the DOH will also be conducting a house-to-house vaccination of babies, especially those residing in far-flung areas.
The program offers vaccines in several doses to be administered to babies in scheduled intervals.
The Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine may be administered to babies when they reach nine months old and one years old.
The Pentavalent Vaccine, the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), and the Pneumococcal vaccine (PCV) may be given to babies when they are one and a half, two and a half, and three and a half months old.
The Pentavalent Vaccine protects children against tetanus, pertussis (or a whooping cough), hepatitis, and pulmonary diseases.
The Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), which provides additional protection against polio, may be taken by babies who are three and a half months old, and nine months old.
Both the Hepatitis B vaccine, and the Bacille Calmette-Guerin Vaccine (BCG), which give protection against tuberculosis (TB) meningitis and miliary TB, may be administered to babies at birth.
The DOH cited the importance of vaccines and engaged with city health offices to improve the child immunization rates and increase the coverage rate.
Barangay health centers around the country have reserved Wednesdays for child vaccination and immunization.
It was noted that the Covid-19 pandemic increased vaccine hesitancy among parents who failed to avail of the city's immunization programs due to the risk of exposing their children to the virus, according to the 2020 Fully Immunized Child (FCI) data by the DOH.
The Marikina City local government urged parents to grab this opportunity to ensure the health and safety of their babies.