About 61 percent of eligible Filipino children have been fully vaccinated as of January this year, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

As of 20 January, the partial Field Health Services Information System (FHSIS) data for 2024 showed that 1,459,353 out of 2,392,392 eligible children in the Philippines are already fully immunized.

This includes receiving one dose of the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, three doses of the pentavalent vaccine, three doses of the oral polio vaccine, and two doses of a measles-containing vaccine by the age of 12 months.

A total of 933,039 Filipino children have yet to complete their vaccines.

However, children who received their vaccines in private facilities remain unaccounted for.

This puts the vulnerable population at continued risk from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) such as pertussis, diphtheria, and measles.

The World Health Organization (WHO) assured that it is working closely with the DOH to maintain the gains in immunization and continue to protect Filipinos from VPDs.

"Together, let us enhance our strategies and aim for efficient coordination and feedback mechanisms with frontline health services providers, communities, private partners, and stakeholders," WHO Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rui Paulo de Jesus said during the National Immunization Summit on Thursday, 30 January.

"Importantly, let us commit to ensuring sustainable vaccine supply so that no one is left behind in immunization," de Jesus added.

The DOH, for its part, said it is eyeing to achieve 95 percent immunization coverage for children in the Philippines.

"The vision we share is of a Philippines where every individual, regardless of circumstance, has equitable access to vaccines; a vision rooted in equity and resilience," Health Secretary Dr. Ted Herbosa said.

The Philippines has made significant strides in immunization. Based on WHO estimates, the country is no longer among the top 20 with the highest number of zero-dose children, reducing cases from one million in 2021 to 163,000 in 2023.

In 2024, the DOH reinstated Bakuna Eskwela, a school-based immunization program offering vaccines for measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, and human papillomavirus.