“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This adage could not have been more apt when it comes to vaccines. Globally, 12 million children less than five years of age die annually from vaccine-preventable diseases. Without immunization programs worldwide, the death toll could be higher: 2.7 million are expected to die from measles, 1.2 million from tetanus, 10,000 from diphtheria and 800,000 from polio. Data from the National Statistics Office and UNICEF showed that 35 out of 1,000 Filipino infants die annually from vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis and meningitis. The launching of the Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the 60’s caused a significant decrease in disability and death from these diseases. Thanks to the government support and implementation of the EPI, compulsory basic immunization is provided by the local health centers. As the number of fully immunized children increased to about 80 to 90%, the infant mortality rate subsequently declined.
Despite these encouraging results, the Philippines has a long way to go in terms of achieving a fully immunized population. Essentially, limited resources pose problems in implementing a successful immunization program. While the EPI dramatically improved the health situation, it only covers BCG (for tuberculosis), DPT (diphteria, pertussis and tetanus), measles and hepatitis B. more
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