Only 21.2% of target Cebu kids vaccinated

CEBU CITY — The Cebu Provincial Health Office (CPHO) recorded only a 21.2 percent accomplishment rate during this year’s Measles-Rubella Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR-SIA), a sharp drop from the roughly 90 percent coverage in the 2023 campaign.

The drive, held from 10 August to 4 September after a one-week extension, targeted children aged six months to 59 months and included Vitamin A supplementation.

CPHO National Immunization Program coordinators Dr. Mario Joyag Jr. and nurse Lorraine Gemperoso attributed the low turnout to several factors, including vaccine misinformation and hesitancy among parents.

They said misinformation circulating on social media has fueled fears about alleged adverse effects of vaccines, while some parents remained reluctant to bring their children to vaccination sites.

Gemperoso said some local government units recorded particularly low accomplishment rates, with the lowest at about 10 percent and the highest at 55 percent.

Final figures remain subject to validation by the Department of Health.