THE PHILIPPINE Red Cross supported the Department of Health’s Chikiting Ligtas program, an immunization campaign against measles, rubella and polio, which will take place nationwide for the entire month of May.

“We are proud to be part of this campaign to eliminate measles, rubella, and polio in the Philippines. As an organization that is committed to promoting health and well-being, we believe that the power of immunization cannot be overstated. It is a vital tool in protecting our communities and preventing the spread of diseases,” PRC Chairman and CEO Richard Gordon said.

The program is designed to prevent measles outbreak as previous immunization campaigns drew few turnouts especially during the peak of the Covid19 pandemic.

The health department said it will administer measles-rubella vaccine to children aged nine to 59 months old (4.9 years old) and the polio vaccine to children aged zero to 59 months old.

In coordination with local governments and local health officers, PRC will mobilize vaccination teams across its 102 chapters nationwide to support the DOH campaign.

The PRC chapters will also help in the communication and advocacy part of the campaign. The agency will mobilize its barangay-based volunteers and encourage doctors and nurses to join its vaccination teams.

All vaccines will be sourced from the DOH.

In 2021, the PRC supported DOH’s measles-rubella and polio vaccination programs and immunized 1,056,209 children against polio and 193,241 children against measles.