KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato (PIA) -- South Cotabato aims to reach at least 89,675 children age 9 to 59 months for the measles rubella vaccination and at least 105,361 children age 0 to 59 months old for the bivalent oral polio vaccination in the month-long supplemental immunization activity in May. 

The Measles-Rubella and Oral Polio Vaccine Immunization Activity (MR-OPV SIA), a nationwide event, will begin on May 2. The month-long activity also includes Vitamin A supplementation. 

Jezzel Faith Arizaleta, provincial immunization program coordinator, said the Integrated Provincial Health Office IPHO), with help from stakeholders, hopes to achieve this target through "suyod" strategy or house-to-house vaccination as well as establishment of fixed vaccination sites in health stations, hospitals, and other facilities and temporary sites such as schools, malls, community centers, basketball courts, church grounds, and others.

Arizaleta said, attaining the aforementioned figures will assure the province of hitting  95% vaccine coverage, which is necessary to acquire "herd immunity" or resistance against spread of measles and polio. 

Just recently, the IPHO gathered representatives from national line agencies, non-government organizations, civil society organizations, religious groups, health service providers, business establishments, and others to solicit support for the month-long MR-OPV SIA. 

"On its own, the Provincial Health Office and the city and municipal health offices cannot prevent outbreaks and even implement other health programs in the province. We always need you as stakeholders," Provincial Health Officer Dr. Rogelio Aturdido Jr., said as he urged backing for the MR-OPV SIA. 

Help solicited from stakeholders includes assistance in information dissemination, designation of vaccination sites, volunteer vaccinators and support personnel, security, transportation, and others.  

In the same meeting, Dr. Aturdido warned that a surge in cases of measles infection and polio remains a possibility for South Cotabato considering the current status of vaccine coverage, especially among children, in the province. 

"For the past three years since the start of the pandemic, our immunization for vaccine preventable disease went down," he explained. 

Data from the IPHO show that since 2020, the province's immunization status in both measles-rubella and polio was below the "herd immunity" level.

In 2020, only 84.57% of children age 9 to 59 months old in South Cotabato received vaccines against measles-rubella. This decreased to 77.79% in 2021, and 72.11% in 2022. 

Meanwhile, among children 0 to 59 months old, only 81.71% received vaccine for polio in 2020, 73.54% in 2021, and 78.90 in 2022. (PIA SOCCSKSARGEN)