Health

08 March 2024, Manila – The Department of Health (DOH), in collaboration with UNICEF and the Asia eHealth Information Network (AeHIN), ended today the first National Digital Health Summit, a three-day event of local and international health and innovation experts on digitally-enabled solutions to help Filipino children and their families receive…

MANILA, 27 February 2024 – The Philippines, through the Department of Health (DOH), receives PHP 145.5 million (CAD$3.4 million) from the Government of Canada as part of a strategic partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to integrate COVID-19 vaccination, routine immunization, and proven approaches that make quality primary…

Dubai/Manila, 30 November 2023 – The bodies and minds of children are uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. As the climate changes and water supply and services are affected, children’s mental and physical health are also changing, a new report from UNICEF warns as COP28 starts in Dubai today. 1 in 3 children – or 739 million…

MANILA, 24 October 2023 — The World Health Organization Polio Risk Assessment for 2022-2023 shows that the Philippines is still considered at risk for polio outbreaks, with 24 out of 81 provinces considered high-risk. UNICEF Philippines, on the occasion of World Polio Day, urges the government and immunization partners to continue intensifying…

MARAWI CITY, 18 January 2023 – The Bangsamoro Government, European Union in the Philippines and UNICEF today launched “Building Community Resilience and Delivery of Essential Services for Post Conflict Recovery in Lanao del Sur/Marawi” to strengthen community resilience, increase coverage of essential services, and promote child-friendly family…

Are vaccines safe?, Vaccines are very safe. All vaccines go through rigorous safety testing, including clinical trials, before they are approved for the public. Countries will only register and distribute vaccines that meet rigorous quality and safety standards.  , Are vaccines effective?, Vaccines save lives. Vaccines protect children from many life-threatening and highly contagious diseases. For example, the measles vaccine is estimated to have prevented over 21 million deaths globally between 2000 and 2017.  , Why should I vaccinate my child?, Vaccines help protect children against many diseases that are highly contagious and can cause serious harm or death, especially among infants and children with developing immune systems. A fully immunized child has a better chance in becoming a healthy adult. Every child has the right to good health and be protected from diseases. No child should…, How do vaccines work?, Vaccines help the immune system fight infections more efficiently by triggering immune response to recognize and fight specific diseases without making a person sick. By stimulating the body’s natural defenses, vaccines prepare the body to fight the disease faster and more effectively when the virus or bacteria invades the body in the future.  , What is herd immunity?, When a high proportion of individuals are immune to a disease, the disease cannot be transmitted easily from person to person within the population. This population resistance is called herd immunity and occurs when a sufficient proportion of the population has been immunized. In a community with a very high herd immunity, some individuals who are…, Can my baby get sick from vaccines?, Vaccines are extremely safe and serious side effects are very rare. Almost all sickness or discomfort after vaccination is minor and temporary, such as a soreness at the injection site or mild fever. If you are concerned about your child getting vaccinated, please talk to a health worker. Extensive studies and research show that there is no…, What diseases do vaccines prevent?, Routine vaccines for infants protect them from serious and life-threatening diseases like extrapulmonary tuberculosis, polio, measles, diphtheria, Hepatitis B, pertussis, pneumonia, acute encephalitis and many more. Vaccinating your child today, and making sure that your child completes all the required vaccine doses according to schedule, is the…, Where can I get vaccines for my children?, In the Philippines, routine vaccines for children 0 to 1 year old are given for free in barangay health centers. Booster doses for measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria and vaccine against Human Papilloma Virus- cervical cancer-causing disease are also provided in schools during School Based-Immunization., What is the recommended vaccine schedule? , Here is the routine vaccination schedule for infants in the Philippines as of 1 December 2022:   At birth 6 months 10 months 14 months 9 months 1 year BCG ✓           Hepatitis B ✓           Pentavalent   ✓ ✓ ✓     Oral polio   ✓ ✓ ✓     PCV   ✓ ✓ ✓     Inactivated polio       ✓ ✓   MMR         ✓ ✓ To complete a child’s protection, completing the…, Can I delay the vaccination schedule?, One of the best ways you can protect your child is to follow the recommended vaccine schedule set by the Department of Health. Whenever you delay a vaccine dose, you are increasing your child’s vulnerability to disease. Complete vaccination according to schedule is the most effective way to protect children from diseases. If your child’s…, Where can I get more information about vaccines?, Make sure to get your vaccine- and immunization-related information from credible sources such as health workers, DOH, UNICEF and the World Health Organization. If you have any questions, talk to a health worker in a barangay health center. Information on this page is as of 5 December 2022.

Jamila could see them from afar. The hazy figure of PPE-clad nurses toting vaccine carriers coming over the hill meant only one thing for the first-time mother—her baby Jonaila was going to get vaccinated. Unlike most towns in the Philippines where patients go to the clinics, government nurses in Marantao, Lanao del Sur, go from house to house to…, Rise in zero dose children, Jamila and Jonaila’s case reflects a disturbing increase in the number of unimmunized children, among those born during the COVID pandemic. According to UNICEF Immunization Officer Dr. Amador Catacutan, these children are particularly at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases like polio and measles. “As they would be under 2 years old, their immune…, 2019 outbreaks, BARMM had already been lagging in vaccination rates even prior to the pandemic. The situation came to a head in 2019, when the province of Lanao Del Sur saw outbreaks of both polio and measles—two severe yet easily preventable diseases covered under the seven vaccines of the routine National Immunization Program for children. Dr. Alinader Minalang…, Post-outbreak, Dr. Catacutan credits the success of the 2019 outbreak response to a true “multi-sectoral effort”—a campaign that needs to be sustained to combat the rise in zero dose children. “Most people think this is only an issue for the health sector, but this isn’t true.” “Sometimes we need the Department of Social Welfare and Development to give financial…

The Philippines ranks fifth globally among countries with the highest number of unvaccinated children, with one million children across the country who have not received a single childhood vaccine . Within the country, 60% of ‘zero-dose’ children live in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) . One of those ‘zero-dose’ babies…, A well-connected response, Village health workers, who bring essential services to families like Jonaila’s, are part of a truly multisectoral team responding to the need. This involves the central coordination and strategy role of the provincial health team; religious leaders; police trucks for transporting vaccines over rocky and other challenging terrain; and non-…, Alim Abdulrahman Poli is the imam at Mutilan Mosque in Marawi City. In his sermons he does what he can to dispel any doubts about vaccinations. “We tell our congregation to take care of their health, that vaccines are not haram, it’s for the protection of children. We are obliged to take care of children because they are the future of our…, UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723166/Martin San Diego/Highway Child Alim Abdulrahman Poli, 43, a religious leader, inside a mosque. UNIPH-2022-WPD-19, UNICEF worked with imams during the 2019 measles and polio outbreaks, to share sermons in line with the Quran’s teachings. “Qadar means fate or destiny in Islam,” says Poli. “But you first must do your part, in this case, that means getting vaccinated. It’s stated in the Quran that in every concern, you ask the expert in that field. So, if it’s…, UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723147/Martin San Diego/Highway Child Dr. Princess Sacar, head of the Lanao Del Sur Provincial Health Office. UNIPH-2022-WPD-20, Dr. Princess Sacar is head of the Provincial Health Office, she treated children for measles in Manila, during the 2019 outbreak. “There were so many patients,” she says. “I felt overwhelmed and it was so frustrating. Measles is highly contagious and yet easily preventable.”, UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723162/Martin San Diego/Highway Child Dr. Amador Catacutan, UNICEF’s immunization officer, checks a vaccine freezer UNIPH-2022-WPD-21, Dr. Amador Catacutan, UNICEF’s immunization officer, checks the vaccine stocks at the rural health center. “UNICEF initiated the polio outbreak response. Here in Mindanao, there were five rounds of catch-up campaigns, as it was where the first case was identified. Outreach teams were vital, visiting homes and also markets with a target of…, UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723239/Martin San Diego/Highway Child The medicines warehouse and cold-chain vaccine storage facility in Marawi City. UNIPH-2022-WPD-22, The medicines warehouse and cold-chain vaccine storage facility in Marawi City. UNICEF distributed solar-powered refrigerators to areas that struggle with power outages, and continues to forecast, procure and disseminate vaccines for the region., UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723175/Martin San Diego/Highway Child Dr. Alinader Minalang, Provincial Health Officer for the province of Lanao Del Sur, in the medicine warehouse and cold chain storage facility. UNIPH-2022-WPD-23, Dr. Aliander Minalang is the provincial health manager in charge of implementation and monitoring and evaluation of the vaccination program. The Ministry of Health develops the immunization plan and it is adapted at local level. “At the time of the 2019 outbreaks the cold chain facility was not ideal. Now we have solar refrigerators, so vaccines…, UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723177/Martin San Diego/Highway Child Evelyn Saro, midwife and manager of the Marantao Rural Health Center. UNIPH-2022-WPD-24, “Vaccines are important, antibodies are your body’s soldiers, your defense against any illness that may come,” says Evelyn Saro, midwife and manager of the Marantao Rural Health Center., UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723255/Martin San Diego/Highway Child Alim Abdulrahman Poli, 43, a religious leader, at Mutilan Mosque. Alim Abdulrahman Poli, 43, a religious leader, inside a mosque. Dr. Princess Sacar, head of the Lanao Del Sur Provincial Health Office. Dr. Amador Catacutan, UNICEF’s immunization officer, checks a vaccine freezer The…, Nasima brings her 7-month-old son, Ziyad, for a check-up and routine immunization. She comforts and distracts Ziyad as the nurse administers the vaccination., UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723235/Martin San Diego/Highway Child Junaira and her 4-month-old daughter, Riswanah UNIPH-2022-WPD-27, Junaira’s 4-month-old daughter, Riswanah, was feeling poorly today. She got checked over and has postponed her Pentavalent and Polio vaccines until next week when she is expected to be feeling better., UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723245 Martin San Diego/Highway Child Abdulhakum brings her 9-month-old baby Zainuddin to the Marantao Rural Health Unit for routine vaccination and check-up. UNIPH-2022-WPD-28, 9-month-old baby Zainuddin receives two vaccines, protecting against 8 diseases, including Polio, Diptheria, Whooping Cough and Tetanus., UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723240/Martin San Diego/Highway Child 9-month-old baby Zainuddin's father looks on while he is at the rural health unit with his mother Abdulhakum UNIPH-2022-WPD-29, Zainuddin’s father entertains him while the baby sits with his mother, Abdulhakum, to receive advice and services from the health team., UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723242/Martin San Diego/Highway Child Anisa carrying her 1-month-old baby Asya UNIPH-2022-WPD-30, 1-month-old Asya is up-to-date with her vaccinations. At just a few weeks old, mother Anisa has brought her for a weekly, newborn check-up., UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723244/Martin San Diego/Highway Child Nasima brings her 7-month-old baby, Ziyad, to the Marantao Rural Health Unit for routine checkup and immunization session. Junaira and her 4-month-old daughter, Riswanah Abdulhakum brings her 9-month-old baby Zainuddin to the Marantao Rural Health Unit for routine vaccination and check-…

Norsainah and Baniamen have four children. Alnur, 4, was hospitalized with measles when he was 10 months old. “We thought we were going to lose him,” says his mother, Norsainah. Babies born in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are more at risk from vaccine-preventable diseases in comparison to children in other parts of the…, Family portrait: Mother, Norsainah, and father, Baniamen, with their children Sudais, 2, Saimen, 7, and Saiben, 6, (from left to right), and Alnur, 4, at the front on his bike. Since Alnur was hospitalized with measles, all of the children have kept up-to-date with the recommended vaccination schedule., UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723213/Martin San Diego/Highway Child A street scene in Marawi City, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao UNIPH-2022-WPD-7, Much of ‘Ground-Zero’ in Marawi City is yet to be rebuilt., UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723288/Martin San Diego/Highway Child Baniamen fetches three of his children from school using his tricycle, which he also uses for work. UNIPH-2022-WPD-8, Baniamen takes his kids to school on the tricycle he uses for work. Alnur, 4, jumps on the back. It was difficult for the father to work during the crises. There were no customers during the siege and he couldn’t go out to work when Alnur was unwell., UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723148/Martin San Diego/Highway Child Norsainah at home with two of her sons, Saimen, 7, and Saiben, 6. UNIPH-2022-WPD-9, Norsainah preparing a meal at home, pictured with sons, Saimen, 7, (left) and Saiben, 6, (center)., UNICEF and U.S. CDC/UN0723210/Martin San Diego/Highway Child Parents Norsainah and Baniamen with their children A street scene in Marawi City, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Baniamen fetches three of his children from school using his tricycle, which he also uses for work. Norsainah at home with two of her sons, Saimen, 7, and…

MANILA, 21 October 2022 – UNICEF Philippines, on the occasion of World Polio Day, revealed that the Philippines has 1 million children who have not received a single dose of childhood vaccine 1 . In 2021, Philippines was the top 5 contributor to the 18 million zero-dose children globally and the top 7 contributor with the most children unprotected…

Residents of Barangay Magallanes, Limasawa, line up to avail of free health services provided by the mobile health teams of UNICEF and its partners. Residents of Barangay Magallanes, Limasawa, line up to avail of free health services provided by the mobile health teams of UNICEF and its partners. Residents of Barangay Magallanes in Limasawa,…

Things seemed to be going back to normal at Mabuhay Elementary School in Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte. After two years of learning at home due to COVID-19 restrictions, the school finally resumed face-to-face classes. This was a welcome development for both students and teachers. “The modules were very difficult,” said 11-year-old Princess…