THE Department of Health of Thursday said that six million doses of the pentavalent vaccine that could give protection against pertussis and other diseases are expected to arrive in the Philippines by July.
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said that this 5-in-1 vaccine could be given to children as young as six weeks old amid the rising “whooping cough” cases in the country. Aside from pertussis, the pentavalent vaccine could also offer protection from diphtheria, tetanus, Hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type B.
“Meron kaming darating na 6 million doses of pentavalent by July. Ito ‘yung na-procure na bakuna para sa Pilipinas,” Herbosa said in a media forum.The Health chief earlier announced that there may be a shortage of pertussis vaccines in May as the national government’s stocks “are running low” at only 64,400 doses, as of March 25.
To address this, DOH is seeking to procure an older type of vaccine called DPT, which could only protect against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.Herbosa, however, disclosed that the certificate of product registration of the DPT vaccine has already expired, requiring it to be registered once more at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
He is also waiting for the arrival of an additional three million doses of DPT vaccine.
