The Philippines ranks "among the lowest 10" in the world when it comes to immunizing children against infectious diseases, with over one million kids unvaccinated, according to Department of Health (DOH) Officer-in-Charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.
Vergeire made this revelation during the House Committee on Appropriations' deliberation on the agency’s proposed P195.63-billion budget under the 2023 National Expenditure Program (NEP).
"During the pandemic period that we've had, we now have around one million children less than one year old who are unvaccinated in the country," Vergeire said during the interpellation of Zamboanga Sibugay 1st district Rep. Wilter Palma.
"And when we discussed this with UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), tayo po ay nasa (we are among the) lowest 10 among all of the countries in the world regarding our immunization for children," she bared.
Vergeire assured solons that the DOH wasn't taking the situation sitting down. "So having said that, we have already identified strategies like immunization activities."
"We will also be--we have harnessed the cooperation po for medical societies, pediatric society kasi mayroon din pong impending measles outbreak kung hindi po natin mapunan yung measles na kailangan ng mga bata ngayon (because we also have an impending measles outbreak if we fail to address the needs of our children right now)," said the DOH chief.
Vergeire said that healthcare workers' attention has been divided between response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the usual programs of the department.