About 95 percent of Grades 1 and 7, and female Grade 4 public school students from the Ilocos Region are eyed for the resumption of the school-based immunization program from October to November.

Dr. Rheuel Bobis, head of the Department of Health – Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) 1 (Ilocos Region), in a virtual forum on Tuesday, encouraged parents of the estimated 200,000 learners of these particular grade levels in the region to have their children vaccinated.

Citing Department of Education (DepEd) data, he said about 81,624 learners enrolled in Grade 1 and 71,210 in Grade 7 are eligible for the measles-rubella and tetanus-diphtheria vaccines.

While about 40,000 female learners in Grade 4 are eligible for the human papillomavirus vaccines.

The school-based immunization program was stopped in 2021 due to the pandemic but will resume this year to protect learners against preventable diseases, Bobis said, citing the shared vision with DepEd for “a healthy school where every student is protected from various vaccine-preventable diseases.”

“The vaccines to be given to your children are safe and effective. It underwent clinical trials, certifications, and authorizations of the experts to ensure safety. It is also for free in public schools,” he added. (PNA)