COTABATO CITY, Philippines โ Health workers in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have vaccinated more than 400,000 children against measles and rubella in just two weeks, regional officials said on Wednesday, February 4, marking a major boost to the regionโs immunization drive.
Jet Lim, spokesperson of the BARMM parliament, said 400,740 children have so far received measles and rubella vaccines, crediting the progress to the active involvement of Muslim religious leaders who helped address vaccine hesitancy in their communities.
Lim said religious leaders conducted lectures anchored on Islamic teachings that emphasize the importance of health care. They also emphasized the collective obligation to prevent the spread of diseases, helping dispel long-standing myths and superstitions surrounding vaccination.
Measles, rubella vaccinakion launching
The Bangsamoro government launched the region-wide vaccination campaign on January 19 at the BARMM capitol in Cotabato City. Chief Minister Abdulrauf Macacua, Bangsamoro Health Minister Kadil Sinolinding Jr., former health undersecretary Dr. Enrique Tayag, and representatives from the United Nations Childrenโs Fund (UNICEF) Mindanao office led the kick-off.
Sinolinding, a physician-ophthalmologist and a member of the BARMMโs 80-seat parliament, expressed gratitude to provincial and local officials for enforcing the national governmentโs measles and rubella immunization program across the autonomous region.
‘Strong cooperation’
Data from the Ministry of HealthโBARMM showed that as of Tuesday, around two-third of target children from Muslim, Christian, and non-Moro Indigenous communities had been vaccinated in the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, as well as in the cities of Lamitan, Marawi, and Cotabato.
โThis was achieved with the strong cooperation of local government units and the active involvement of the Office of the Chief Minister,โ Sinolinding said.
He also thanked doctors and health workers from the Integrated Provincial Health Offices for pushing vaccination efforts down to the municipal level, noting that city mayors in Lamitan, Marawi, and Cotabato have been at the forefront of the campaign.
The measles and rubella vaccination drive in BARMM is set to continue until February 13.
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