Manila: A total of 90,110 children in Eastern Visayas have been vaccinated against measles and rubella, bringing the region's coverage to 31.06 percent during the first week of the program, the Department of Health (DOH) regional office here said.

According to Philippines News Agency, the campaign is on track, based on accomplishments from August 10 to 14 of the measles-rubella supplemental immunization activity (MR-SIA) across the region's six provinces and the highly urbanized city. Eastern Samar posted the highest vaccination coverage at 44.27 percent, followed by Tacloban City at 36.30 percent, Biliran at 32.09 percent, Northern Samar at 31.83 percent, and Leyte at 31.65 percent. Southern Leyte recorded 27.46 percent coverage, while Ormoc City and Samar posted 25.42 percent and 23.01 percent, respectively.

The campaign, which also includes Vitamin A supplementation, aims to reach children aged 6 to 59 months regardless of their previous immunization status from Aug. 10 to 28 this year. 'The 31.06 percent regional coverage is a result of the continuing efforts to bring measles-rubella vaccination services closer to communities. We are grateful for the support of our local government units,' the DOH stated.

The agency encouraged parents, grandparents, and other eligible individuals to seek reliable information about the vaccination campaign and not immediately believe misinformation circulating online. The DOH emphasized that measles-rubella vaccines have been used for more than 50 years to protect communities from the highly contagious diseases and their potentially serious complications.

The DOH is targeting to vaccinate 445,961 children in Eastern Visayas this August as part of the nationwide measles-rubella supplemental immunization campaign.