URDANETA CITY – It will cost government only P300 to have a child fully immunized while the cost of saving a sick child’s life from a vaccine-preventable disease is infinitely greater.

This was emphasized by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III when he launched the “Garantisadong Pambata” (GP) program on Monday at the Urdaneta City and Sports
Center.

GP is a package of services for children from 0-11 months old, consisting of Vitamin A supplementation, immunization, breastfeeding and de-worming—all cost-effective interventions to ensure child survival.

Duque said that as a government policy, no child should be deprived of getting free immunizations and other health services ay any health center or health facility.

The main strategy of GP will be door-to-door in priority provinces where a significant number of un-immunized children aged 0-48 months have amassed in the past two years.

These include Pangasinan, Cavite, Quezon, Laguna, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Bohol, Sulu, Basilan and Kalookan City in NCR.

A fully immunized child, said Duque, is one who has received one dose of BCG for childhood tuberculosis, three doses of oral polio vaccine, three doses of DPT (diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus), one dose of measles and three doses of hepatitis B before reaching one year old.

The Department of Health today strongly urged all local government units and health care workers to find ways and means to eliminate childhood diseases that are vaccine-preventable after statistics last year revealed that only 83% (or 2.15 million out of 2.60 million) of children from 0-11 months old had completed their immunization before reaching their first birthday.

Duque recalled that in 2000, the Philippines was certified as polio-free by the World Health Organization (WHO), adding that the challenge now is to maintain this status by achieving 95% oral polio vaccine coverage during the routine immunization.

Also, the country is presently targeting to eliminate measles by 2008 and the goals of neonatal tetanus elimination and hepatitis control by 2010 set by the World Health Organization.

“There is no effective and affordable way to prevent hepatitis B infection than through immunization,” Duque said. Since September 2005, DOH provides 100% of the hepatitis B vaccine needs for all infants nationwide.

Hepatitis B vaccine birth dose has also included in the new PhilHealth newborn benefit packages.