THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DoH) is set to conduct rounds of dengue vaccination for nine to 14-year-old children in public schools in Cebu before the month ends. This is part of the health agency’s expansion program for its anti-dengue vaccination drive to include Grade 4 students in the province. The campaign was launched in Lapu-Lapu City last month. Dr. Jonathan Niel V. Erasmo, DoH-7 chief of Local Health Support Division, earlier estimated that about 75,000 children in the province will receive the vaccine. Data from the Cebu provincial health office show that 9,137 dengue cases were reported in the province last year, much higher than the 2,486 in 2015. In a coordination meeting last week between the DoH and the local government, Dr. Maria Rosario Z. Capeding of the DoH national office presented research data and studies supporting the vaccine’s efficacy amid reservations expressed by the head of the Provincial Health Office. — The Freeman

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