Education Secretary Armin Luistro has directed personnel of the Department of Education (DepEd) – particularly regional directors, schools division superintendents and other school officials – to provide “full support” to the expanded School-Based Immunization (SBI) this coming school year 2016-2017 which will include vaccination for dengue virus. Luistro, in Memorandum No. 50 series of 2016, formally announced the existing SBI program in public schools is expanded this school year with the inclusion of dengue vaccination. “Dengue virus is one of the leading causes of illness in the Philippines,” he said citing the country as the fourth in dengue cases among the 10 ASEAN nations. Dengue is not only a public health burden but has significant economic and social implications in the country with an estimated treatment cost of $345 million or P16 billion, he explained. Since 2013, Luistro said the departments of education and health have implemented the School-Based vaccination [...]
