Immunization

There has only been a slight increase in the proportion of fully immunized children since 2013 but there has been a significant increase in zero vaccination over the same period. 

According to the national vaccination schedule, only six out of 10 of children aged 12-23 months and half of children aged 24-35 months are fully vaccinated. Significant variation is observed among regions and children of mothers who have no education, or who are from the poorest wealth quintile, are less likely to have received any vaccinations.

Immunization became mandatory among infants and children with the enactment of Republic Act No. 10152, the Mandatory Infants and Children Health Immunization Act, in 2011. 

The act provides the legislative basis for comprehensive, sustainable, and free immunization of all Filipino infants and children up to five years old covering vaccine-preventable diseases such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps and rubella, among others..”

Other relevant laws and policies include the Republic Act No. 11148 or the First 1,000 days, Republic Act No. 10354 on responsible parenthood and reproductive health, including guidance on vaccination.

There is an ongoing nationwide supplemental immunization campaign by the DOH called Chikiting Ligtas to vaccinate children against measles, rubella and polio. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act was passed in 2021 providing funding for a national vaccination programme against COVID-19 although vaccination is not mandatory.

In 2022, 71.8 per cent of children aged 12-23 months were reported to have received the full doses of basic antigens just a few percentage points higher than that in 2017 and in 2013, at 69.9 per cent and 68.5 per cent, respectively. Zero vaccination or the proportion of children that did not receive any vaccine increased to 11.2 per cent from 9.4 per cent in 2017 and 3.8 per cent n 2013. 

Six regions had a proportion of fully immunized children below the national average with BARMM registering the lowest proportion of a mere 18.1 per cent. BARMM also reported the highest proportion of zero vaccinated children with 6 in 10 children receiving no vaccination compared to the just 1 in 10 children overall.

There is little difference in the proportion of fully vaccinated children and zero vaccination by sex and residence. However, the proportion of full vaccination is generally lower in the lower wealth quintiles and among mothers with the least education while zero vaccination is highest in the same wealth and education categories.

Based on the national vaccination schedule, 59.4 per cent of children aged 12-23 months and 49.9 per cent of children aged 24-35 months were fully vaccinated as of 2022. While there is not much difference by sex, the proportion of fully vaccinated children in rural areas per the national schedule is lower as is the case in poor households and in those whose mothers had the least education.

Children aged 12-23 months receiving BCG and measle-containing vaccines have declined. The proportion of children aged 12-23 months who received a dose of BCG vaccine, which is used to address tuberculosis, decreased to 87.8 per cent in 2022 from 90 per cent in 2017 and 95.4 per cent in 2013. The percentage of children that received at least one dose of measle-containing vaccine also dropped, although only slightly, in 2022 at 79.2 per cent from 80.4 per cent in 2017.

Notably though, Region XI registered the steepest decline from 92.3 per cent in 2017 to 61.8 per cent in 2022 second only to BARMM with the lowest proportion of children receiving measle-containing vaccine at 21.9 per cent. There was not much difference in the proportion of BCG and measle vaccination between boys and girls and between urban and rural areas but lower percentages were observed among children in the poorest households and those of mothers with little education.

At least 80 per cent of 12–17-year-old and less than half of the 5–11-year-old children have received the full dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of 2022.