A physician on Thursday, 14 August, urged the government to expedite the procurement and rollout of several vaccines, noting that any delay would put the lives of children, expectant mothers, and the elderly at risk against preventable diseases.

The World Health Organization flagged the Philippines for a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles. From January to May, the country logged 2,068 measles cases.

"We urge the government to fast-track procurement, as millions of Filipinos depend on timely access to free vaccines for protection," Dr. Mikaella Jeleene Salinas Asoy, lead convenor of Bayan Bakuna, said.

Asoy also raised concerns that several vaccines, including measles-rubella (MR), human papillomavirus (HPV), tetanus-diphtheria, pneumococcal, and influenza, "remain unawarded" or are still undergoing rebidding, despite procurement requests dating back to the first quarter of 2025.

The health expert emphasized that this is especially alarming for vaccines like influenza and pneumococcal, which are ideally administered before the rainy season to allow time for immunity to develop.

While the Philippines is no longer among the top five countries with the most zero-dose children, advocates stressed that sustaining this progress requires urgent action. As of January 2025, only 61 percent of eligible children have been fully immunized, still far below the 95 percent target needed to achieve herd immunity.

Bayana Bakuna expressed optimism that vaccine procurement will be expedited following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 28 July, where he called on the Department of Health to complete childhood immunizations to meet national targets.

Adults and people with comorbidities also face heightened risks, with up to 16 tropical cyclones forecasted from August to December.

The rainy season is expected to drive a surge in respiratory infections such as flu and pneumonia, illnesses that pose a serious threat to unvaccinated seniors and other high-risk groups.

“Timely vaccine delivery is critical to keeping our communities protected. By ensuring vaccines reach our communities on time, we ease the burden on hospitals and safeguard high-risk groups from preventable illness," Asoy continued.

“We also encourage the public to ask their local health centers about available free vaccines, so they can protect themselves and their loved ones as soon as supplies arrive," she added.

The vaccine advocate concluded that with swift and coordinated action, the government can close immunity gaps, prevent outbreaks, and protect the progress already made in achieving national immunization goals.