BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Regional Director of the Cordillera office of the Department of Health–Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD-CAR) encouraged the public to be immunised from vaccine-preventable diseases through the Measles-Rubella and Oral Polio Vaccine Supplemental Immunization Activity (MR–OPV–SIA) campaign from October 26, 2020, to November 25, 2020 whose theme is “Chikiting Ligtas sa Dagdag Bakuna Kontra Rubella, Polio at Tigdas”.
As a jumpstart, Constantino administered the immunization from vaccine-preventable diseases of three children in Bontoc during the launching of the MR-OPV–SIA on October 27, 2020, at the Auditorium of the Bontoc Municipal Capitol.
In her message, Constantino mentioned that while the government is battling with the COVID-19, bringing the other health services of the government to the community must not be overlooked.
With this, she urged the parents and guardians to have their children immunized for free to counter measles, rubella, and polio which have been proven safe for the past decades.
The MR injectable vaccine will be given to eligible 9-59 month children regardless of their immunization status but with a minimum of at least four-week interval from their last dose while the OPV (oral dose) will be given to all eligible 0-59 month children regardless of immunization and interval from their last dose.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), measles, or “tigdas”, is one of the most contagious diseases in the world which causes high-grade fever, rashes, cough, eye infection, and can lead to complications such as pneumonia, ear infection, blindness, severe diarrhea, and swelling of the brain. Polio, on the other hand, is a potentially debilitating disease that causes fever, neck stiffness, muscle weakness and can eventually lead to lifelong paralysis.
There is no treatment for this illness, but the only reliable protection is through vaccination.
Mayor Franklin Odsey, in his welcome address, extended the profound gratitude of Bontoc to the DOH for all its support and assistance in uplifting and improving the health standards of the municipality and as a gesture of welcoming Constantino to Bontoc, she was clothed with a lufid and wakes.
Likewise, Mountain Province Congressman Maximo Dalog, Jr., and Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan, Jr., thanked the DOH for their support to the COVID-19 response and operations of Mountain Province.
Meanwhile, the DOH awarded the municipality of Bontoc a Certificate for Authorization to Operate for its Temporary Treatment Monitoring Facility.
The certificate was turned over by Constantino to the Bontoc municipal Mayor Franklin C. Odsey, Vice Mayor Eusebio S. Kabluyen, and Municipal Health Officer Dr. Diga Kay D. Gomez. The Bontoc LGU Temporary Treatment Monitoring Facility has 13-bed capacities and was approved by the DOH to operate from October 7, 2020, to December 31, 2020.
Meanwhile, a Certificate for Authorization to Operate of Sagada Temporary Treatment Monitoring Facility was also turned over by Constantino to Sagada Municipal Health Officer Dr. Geovy Rose Aborque. The Sagada Temporary Treatment Monitoring Facility has 10-bed capacities and was approved by the DOH to operate from October 7, 2020, to December 31, 2020.
Also present during the activity were the members of the Sangguniang Bayan of Bontoc, municipal health officers of other municipalities in Mountain Province, provincial health officers Nenita Lizard and Carolyn Yawan, Dr. Presentacion Matib of the Paracelis District Hospital, personnel of the DOH- Provincial Office, and staff of the Municipal Health Office. By Alpine L. Killa
