The Health Department is proposing to make being vaccinated against measles as a requirement for students to be enrolled in schools.| CDNDigital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) is still studying the proposal from the Department of Health (DOH) to require to students to get vaccinated against measles, before accepting them to enroll.
“Kinahanglan pa silang mo-come up with an agreement. But as of now wala pa gyuy agreement nga na-reach ang DepEd ug DoH kay ang atong secretary iya pang gitan-aw ang balanse,” said DepEd-Cebu City Superintendent Dr. Bianito Dagatan.
Dagatan said that they were afraid that if they would implement the proposal, this might result to reduction of enrollment for this school year.
“This might contradict to our free education to all policy. Mao nga wala pa mo-commit atong secretary, iya pang gitun-an.” he explained.
As of the moment, Dagatan said that their School Health and Nutrition Section had already been working to convince parents to submit their children to measles vaccination in health centers in different barangays.
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He said that the dengvaxia scare in the previous years had really affected the immunization coverage of the DOH.
“Big task ni para sa among School Health and Nutrition Section, hilabi na nga dunay mga parents nga magduha-duha gihapon. Pero dugay naman ni nga bakuna nga dili angay kahadlokan,” he said.
Dagatan said that in the past, the DOH has been conducting measles vaccination inside the school premises.
But, for now, DepEd will only coordinate to DOH, while actual immunizations are being held in health centers.
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He said that the agency had also been considering helping the DOH by providing information about the students that had not been or had not completed their immunization.
“Kung just getting the data, why not, it is possible,” Dagatan added./dbs