DAGUPAN CITY -- Children between nine months to 15 years old in Region 1 (Ilocos) can now avail of the free Japanese encephalitis vaccine in three hospitals run by the Department of Health (DOH) in the region.
These are Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC) in Pangasinan, Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center in La Union, and Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center in Ilocos Norte.
DOH Region 1 senior health program officer John Lee Gacusan said Region 1 is among the four introductory regions, including Region 2 (Cagayan), Region 3 (Central Luzon) and the Cordillera Administrative Region, for the vaccine.
“Based from the studies of the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund, 71 percent of Japanese encephalitis cases in the country are from these four regions,” Gacusan said in an interview Monday.
He added the vaccine was originally to be offered to children between nine months to 59 months, but it was extended to teenagers up to 15 years old since they are part of the most affected population.
Gacusan further said the vaccine will be part of the government’s immunization program if it yielded positive results in decreasing the cases in the four introductory regions.
“The vaccine will soon be available in the health centers of all the towns and cities in the region but for now, DOH (is) still distributing it to the local government units (LGUs) that prioritized first the anti-measles vaccine. But after they are done with the anti-measles vaccine then, they will proceed with the anti-Japanese encephalitis vaccine,” he said.
Gacusan emphasized the importance of vaccinating children against Japanese encephalitis following the increasing trend of cases in the region.
“We have recorded 36 cases in 2015, 32 in 2016, 72 in 2017, and 55 last year here in Region 1. This may seem a small proportion but according to WHO (World Health Organization), only 5 percent of the total cases were confirmed since there are few testing centers in the country that could detect the Japanese encephalitis,” he said.
Gacusan noted the vaccine is safe as it is already being used by 12 countries for 30 years, and has already immunized 400 million children.
“After the child was vaccinated, he/she will experience fever and rash that may last two to three days, but that’s it. If other symptoms appear, just consult our health workers who are trained to handle the case,” he said.
Gacusan also warned of the dangers of not getting the vaccine and being infected with the Japanese encephalitis.
“Japanese encephalitis disease is deadly. Thirty percent of the victims die while 30 to 50 percent of the survivors suffer from neurologic side effects such as being paralyzed, unable to walk, and changes in the child’s behavior. These are long-term effects,” he said.
DOH-1 targets to immunize at least 500,000 children and adolescents with Japanese encephalitis vaccine in the entire region. (PNA)
