Less than half of children in Central Visayas, a bustling region at the heart of the Philippines, are fully vaccinated, a new government report reveals, marking a precipitous decline that has triggered alarm among public health officials. The findings, drawn from the 2025 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Central Visayas and presented last Thursday, indicate a dramatic erosion of immunization coverage, threatening to undo years of progress against preventable diseases across the islands.
Just 49.3 percent of children aged 12 to 23 months in Central Visayas have completed their full immunization schedule, receiving all recommended vaccine doses. The figure stands at a similarly low 49.0 percent for children slightly older, between 24 and 35 months. This represents a steep and concerning drop from the 78 percent recorded in the 2022 NDHS, underscoring a deepening crisis in pediatric public health that demands urgent attention and could leave hundreds of thousands of the region’s youngest residents vulnerable to outbreaks of deadly diseases.
The stark decline translates to a significant portion of Central Visayas’s child population lacking comprehensive protection, creating a dangerous pathway for infectious diseases to spread. Such low immunization rates compromise the collective protection known as herd immunity, leaving entire communities susceptible to outbreaks of measles, polio, diphtheria, and other vaccine-preventable illnesses. These outbreaks not only pose a severe threat to the lives of young children, particularly those too young to be vaccinated or with compromised immune systems, but also risk overwhelming already stretched healthcare systems, especially in remote and underserved communities across the archipelago.
Dr. Faith Curaraton, who serves as the officer-in-charge of the Family Health Section of the Department of Health (DOH) Central Visayas, articulated profound concern over the statistics. She emphasized that full protection against vaccine-preventable diseases necessitates the completion of all basic childhood vaccines within the first year of life. These essential immunizations include those targeting tuberculosis (BCG), diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus (DPT), oral polio vaccine (OPV), and measles-mumps-rubella (MMR). Dr. Curaraton specifically highlighted the critical need for two doses of the MMR vaccine to adequately prevent measles outbreaks, a disease known for its high transmissibility and potential for severe complications. The DOH-7, she noted, is grappling with the pervasive challenge of convincing parents to ensure their children complete their immunization schedules, a hurdle officials describe as substantial.
The primary factor identified by health officials for this alarming decline in vaccine uptake is widespread parental vaccine hesitancy. Dr. Curaraton openly acknowledged the difficulties her department faces in encouraging parents to bring their children for vaccination, stating that health authorities are actively striving to bridge this critical gap in public trust and compliance. This hesitancy is not without historical antecedents; public health experts in the Philippines frequently point to the lingering effects of the Dengvaxia controversy, a past public health scare involving a dengue vaccine, as a significant factor fueling fears and distrust among parents regarding current childhood immunization programs. Despite repeated assurances from health professionals regarding the proven efficacy and safety of today's routine childhood vaccines, the shadow of past controversies continues to adversely influence public perception and decisions at the household level.
A closer examination of the 2025 NDHS data reveals a complex, mixed picture of vaccine coverage across various antigens. While some vaccinations saw encouraging improvements in uptake, others experienced notable declines, contributing to the overall reduction in full immunization rates. For instance, among children aged 12 to 23 months, BCG vaccination coverage saw an increase to 96.2 percent in 2025, up from 92.9 percent in 2022. Similarly, polio vaccination coverage improved to 91.6 percent from 83.2 percent, and the first dose of MMR coverage climbed to 92.1 percent from 90.5 percent. The hepatitis B birth dose also registered an improvement, reaching 92.2 percent from 82.9 percent in 2022, indicating success in early life vaccinations.
However, these gains are unfortunately overshadowed by significant drops in other crucial immunizations, directly impacting the full vaccination rate. Coverage for the three-dose pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) series experienced a substantial fall, plummeting from approximately 8 out of 10 children to just 7 out of 10. The DPT vaccine also saw a slight but concerning decline, dropping from 86.5 percent to 85.0 percent. Most notably, the two-dose inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) series saw its coverage fall to 83.1 percent from a more robust 90.8 percent. These specific declines are particularly worrying as they leave children vulnerable to diseases that can lead to severe illness, lifelong disability, or even death, undermining the comprehensive protection that the national immunization program aims to provide.
The ramifications of such persistently low immunization rates are severe and far-reaching. Without a robustly vaccinated population, the protective barrier of herd immunity weakens, making Central Visayas acutely susceptible to the resurgence of highly contagious and potentially fatal diseases. Outbreaks could strain already limited healthcare resources, particularly in rural and island communities where access to advanced medical care is scarce. The most vulnerable children – infants too young to be vaccinated and those with compromised immune systems – bear the brunt of this increased risk, facing heightened exposure to infections that could have been largely eradicated with higher vaccination coverage. The DOH's National Immunization Program (NIP), formerly known as the Expanded Program on Immunization, is designed precisely to provide free routine vaccines to safeguard children and reduce illness and deaths, but its effectiveness is severely hampered by low uptake, creating a disconnect between policy and public health reality.
In light of these alarming figures, health officials are intensifying their appeals for concerted action. Dr. Curaraton underscored the critical importance of strengthening immunization strategies to ensure that children receive and complete all required vaccines within the recommended timeline, ideally within their first year of life. This imperative extends beyond mere vaccination drives to encompass more robust and nuanced information campaigns designed to rebuild public trust and to effectively dispel the myths and misinformation surrounding vaccines that continue to circulate within communities.
Local government units (LGUs) across Central Visayas are being urgently called upon to implement "beyond catch-up vaccination drives," an initiative that implies not just recovering lost ground but exceeding previous efforts. Furthermore, LGUs are being pressed to increase their investment in public awareness initiatives that clearly communicate the undeniable importance of childhood immunizations. On-the-ground efforts, such as the deployment of healthcare personnel to communities through programs like PuroKalusugan, which specifically prioritizes maternal and child health alongside immunization, represent concrete steps aimed at bringing essential medical services directly to barangays and reaching families who might otherwise be underserved or inaccessible through conventional clinics.
The challenges confronting Central Visayas extend beyond mere statistical anomalies; they represent a fundamental public health crisis with potentially devastating consequences for the region’s youngest and most vulnerable demographic. The current situation reflects a complex interplay of historical distrust, misinformation, and systemic hurdles that demand a multi-pronged and collaborative response.
The long shadow cast by the Dengvaxia controversy years ago continues to resonate, serving as a powerful reminder of how a single public health mishap can erode public confidence and complicate future health initiatives. Despite the scientific consensus on the safety and efficacy of current childhood vaccines, the memories of past concerns persist, requiring an exceptional level of transparency and community engagement to rebuild trust. This historical context makes the current struggle in Central Visayas a microcosm of the broader challenge facing public health campaigns globally, where misinformation and past controversies often impede life-saving interventions.
Reversing the deeply troubling trend of declining immunization rates will require a concerted and sustained effort from a broad spectrum of stakeholders. This includes not only national and regional health agencies but also local government units, community leaders, and, most critically, the parents themselves. Without a dramatic and immediate shift in vaccination uptake, the specter of preventable disease outbreaks will continue to loom large over the children of Central Visayas, threatening to undermine the foundational health security of an entire generation.