The Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH WV CHD) has urged parents and caregivers to support the 2025 School-Based Immunization (SBI) program, which targets 185,657 selected public school learners across the region.
DOH WV CHD Regional Immunization Program Medical Coordinator Dr. Jose Martin Atienza said the program aims to protect Grade 1 and Grade 7 learners through measles-rubella (MR) and tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccines, while Grade 4 female learners will receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. The initiative is part of the Bakuna Eskwela campaign, running from August to September 2025.
This year’s target includes 62,843 Grade 1 learners and 84,142 Grade 7 learners for MR and Td vaccines, and 38,612 Grade 4 female learners for HPV vaccination.
“The vaccines that we provide under the Department of Health are the safest and are of the highest quality. They are approved by the World Health Organization and have passed DOH and Food and Drug Administration standards,” Atienza assured, urging parents to have their children vaccinated.
He encouraged parents to coordinate with public school teachers and principals for details about the immunization schedule. Private schools interested in joining the campaign may send a request to their respective city or provincial health offices.
“We have sufficient or more than enough vaccines allocated for our city and provincial health offices,” Atienza said, adding that vaccination helps prevent absenteeism and reduces potential hospitalization costs.
Last year, the SBI achieved 90.54% coverage for Grade 1 learners, 70.06% for Grade 7, and 65.19% for Grade 4 females.
The Regional Bakuna Eskwela program was officially launched on Wednesday at Hibao-an Integrated School in Mandurriao, Iloilo City.
“We hope that our parents, health workers, and the education sector work in collaboration with each other. We have the same targets and the same stakeholders — the children. We want them to be safe and give them the best and highest quality of life they deserve,” Atienza said.