This month Department of Health {DOH} launches the “Ligtas sa Tigdas at Polio Mass Immunization Campaign.” Children 5 years old and below are to be administered immunizations against measles and rubella. This month-long campaign also includes polio vaccine.
The nationwide campaign aims to eventually the cases of measles and rubella in the country, as well as sustain its polio-free status first achieved in 2000.
Vaccination are to be administered in local health centers, health stations in barangays, churches, as well a schools and other designated vaccination posts.
The little man’s school scheduled vaccination on 10 September and his pedia gave him the go signal to have these vaccines. Do take advantage of these free vaccinations and visit your local health center now.
Read more about this campaign here: https://www.gov.ph/2014/09/01/president-aquino-leads-nationwide-measlespolio-immunization-campaign-2/
We visited the little one’s pedia earlier today after his class. It has been sometime since our last visit and if my memory serves me right, the last time we were at the little man’s doctor was late last year. It was the season of cough, cold, flu and other sickness so it calls for the little one to have his flu shot. About time we go, too, as I have a number of queries I am itching to ask our pedia.
The line was surprisingly short today that we did not wait too long for our turn. I guess it was a good decision to go on a regular day, instead of visiting on a Monday or waiting until the weekend, as we’d normally encounter long queues whenever we go there on Saturdays.
Jared’s pedia was asking how he was and was surprised that he readily entered the doctor’s clinic when his name was called. Normally, he’d fuss about it and would think of a number of reasons and excuses so that he can convince me to go home and dodge his vaccines! The doctor also jokingly asked my little guy if mum needs to hold him to be still while administering the vaccine and he simply shook his head to disagree. My, look how cool and behave he was while having his shot! This sure is a welcome change considering how he’d cry his eyes out at the sight of a needle!
I am really proud of how the little one behaved today and how bravely he sat still to wait for his doctor to finish his vaccine! I hope he will behave the same way when we return to the clinic in October for another shot. I guess I cannot deny the inevitable, my baby is no longer a baby and is now turning to be a very curious and inquisitive little boy. I am sure I am in for more surprises as we go along! 🙂
Have you recently visited your pedia to have your little one’s vaccines updated? I’d love to hear all about it in a comment below. 🙂
I was fortunate to join fellow mum bloggers and other people from traditional media to witness the launch of GSK’s No Hope Lost Campaign held at the Makati Shangril-la’s Paranaque AB Hall earlier this month. The event was graced by Barbie’s Cradle vocalist, mum Barbie Almalbis, who shared her scary experience when one of her children got hospitalized due to pneumonia. Also present in the event is resource person, Dr. Sally Gatchalian, Director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, who enlightened us about the importance of having our children vaccinated, as well as clarified certain myths about vaccines and vaccination.
Pneumonia and diarrhea are the top 2 leading causes of mortality among Filipino children less than 5 years of age and the scenario is very much similar with the rest of the world. Losing a child is the most-heartbreaking experience any mother could ever have, it is beyond imaginable, in fact, that thankfully parents, and society in general, is doing anything to prevent the loss of their children. It is also good to know that both diseases can be prevented through vaccination.
Pneumonia in a nutshell
An estimated 37 Filipino children die of pneumonia every single day. It is, in fact, the single greatest cause of death in children less than 5 years old worldwide. Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung that primarily affects the microscopic air sacs alveoli. This is an infection caused by the bacterium S. pneumoniae, or what is popularly known as pneumococcus, which in turn can lead to life-threatening conditions such as pneumonia. This bacterium can also result to Acute Otitis Media {or AOM}, a common and highly prevalent ear infection. When pneumococcus invades the blood, it can also result to severe medical conditions such as meningitis, complicated pneumonia, as well as sepsis or blood poisoning. These invasive forms of the pneumococcal disease are categorize into Invasive Pneumococcal Disease or IPD}.
please excuse the blurry image, my phone was under repair during this time i had to resort to my old smartphone…
Symptoms of pneumonia include:
rapid or difficult breathing
cough
fever
chills
headache
loss of appetite
wheezing
Diarrhea in a nutshell
Diarrhea is the second leading killer of children under 5 years of age globally. There is a registered 1.4 million child deaths yearly because of this disease. The common cause of diarrhea and severe dehydration in young children is Rotavirus Gastroenteritis {RVGE}. This is also the leading cause of diarrheal hospitalization and deaths among children and is considered most severe in infants aged 3-24 months.
Rotavirus is dubbed as a “democratic virus,” affecting virtually every child during the first 5 years of life, regardless of race or socio-economic status. In the Philippines, diarrhea is the second leading cause of child mortality resulting to more than 13 Filipino children dying due to diarrhea every day, or to almost 5,000 deaths yearly.
Prevention is Better Than Cure
Early protection is the key to prevent penumonia and rotavirus disease. No child has to die because of these diseases as they are both highly-preventable. Raising awareness about these diseases is a very effective way to combat them and hopefully eradicate them in the future.
Ways to Protect Children Against Pneumomia and Diarrhea:
breastfeeding
constant hand washing
cleaning your immediate environment and preventing air pollution
