To protect school-aged children from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Education (DepEd) will spearhead the “Bakuna Eskwela” kick-off next week.
In separate advisories, the DOH and DepEd announced that the kick-off event for “Bakuna Eskwela” will be held at Dr. A. Albert Elementary School on Dapitan Street, Sampaloc, Manila.
School-based immunization
The DOH stated that the kick-off event will mark the official launch of the “Bakuna Eskwela” campaign.
Key officials from the DOH and DepEd, led by Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa and Education Secretary Sonny Angara, are expected to attend.
DOH Public Health Services Team Undersecretary Glen Matthew Baggao and DOH Management Support Cluster Undersecretary Ma. Carolina Taiño are also expected to attend, along with other senior officials from both the DOH and DepEd.
Officials from UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), and Jhpiego Philippines are also expected to join the event.
“Bakuna Eskwela,” or School-Based Immunization (SBI), is a program of the DOH in coordination with the DepEd.
The DOH said the SBI aims to protect against VPDs such as measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, and the Human Papillomavirus (HPV).
The program was institutionalized in 2015 and conducted nationwide in public schools every August until the Covid-19 pandemic.
The DOH noted that the SBI shifted from school-based to community-based due to mobility restrictions and the suspension of in-person classes during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the improved Covid-19 response and increased vaccination coverage, institutions, including the education sector, have gradually reopened.
However, aside from Covid-19, the DOH explained that school learners are also at high risk for other VPDs. “Thus, there is a need to provide an opportunity for vaccinating them through the continuation of SBI in school settings,” the health department said.
The DOH, through the National Immunization Program (NIP), issued Department Memorandum No. 2024-250, titled “Interim Guidelines on the Resumption of School-Based Immunization (SBI) after the Covid-19 Pandemic,” to guide the campaign's implementation.
In line with this, all school children in Grade 1 and Grade 7 will be vaccinated with MR-Td vaccines.
The DOH also noted that all Grade 4 female school children in selected public schools nationwide, in specific provinces, will be vaccinated with HPV during the “Bakuna Eskwela” campaign.