Health department releases 2 vaccines

Friday, July 6, 2012 THE Department of Health (DOH), aimed to ensure the protection of children, has distributed to the different health centers in Zamboanga region two new vaccines. This was announced by DOH Regional Expanded Program on Immunization coordinator Annette Tan, who said that the two new vaccines are known as the Pentavalent vaccine and the Rotavirus vaccine. Tan said the Pentavalent vaccine protects the child from Dipteria, Pertusis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B, and Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (HIB) virus in just one vaccine. Tan said the Rotavirus vaccine protects a child from diarrheal diseases caused by rotavirus. The Pentavalent vaccine is administered to children zero to one year old in three doses which starts when the child is one and a half month old, Tan said. She said the Rotavirus vaccine is given in two doses the first dose is being administered when the child is six to less than 15 weeks old while the second dose is when the child is 15 to less than 32 weeks old. She added that the two vaccines are already available in the health centers in the region and is distributed for free. She advised the parents to bring their children to the health centers to be immunized with Pentavalent and Rotavirus vaccines. Tan said the release of the two vaccines is aimed to protect children of zero to eight months from diseases which are preventable through vaccination. (Bong Garcia)

PPP Center Press Statement Self-sufficiency in vaccines is one of the top priority projects under the public-private partnership program of the Aquino Administration. The Department of Healths Vaccine Self Sufficiency Project, Phase II has been approved as a PPP priority project and is now eligible for funding under the Project Development and Management Facility (PDMF) of the PPP Center. The PDMF is a revolving fund that is currently open for access to government agencies and local government units for projects that can be specifically undertaken through the PPP scheme. The PDMF only provides funding for pre-investment activities like the preparation of business cases, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, tender documents, including the drafting of PPP contracts. The government has allocated PhP 300 million for the PDMF pursuant to Executive Order No. 8, series of 2010. This government contribution will soon be supplemented by USD 6 million from the Government of Australia through the Asian Development Bank. The PDMF is expected to enhance the PPP landscape by funding preparation of business case, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies and tender documents of potential PPP projects through the engagement of consultants and transaction advisors responsible for developing wellstructured PPP projects ready for tendering, PDMF OIC-Director Rina Alzate clarified. The PPP Center has already received ten (10) expressions of interest from various agencies to avail of the PDMF. The DOH project is the first PDMF application to be approved. DOHs Vaccine Self Sufficiency Project is expected to reduce the overall cost for its annual vaccine procurement by at least 20-30 percent. This means government can save approximately P240 million to P 360 million out of the 1.2 billion annual purchase cost of the vaccines.It will also accelerate local vaccine production by establishing facilities for the

local formulation, packaging and labeling of pentavalent vaccine (Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B, Haemophylus Influenza B), Tetanus Toxoid, and single dose Hepatitis B The PPP Center sees the PDMF as astrategic tool to pursue social infrastructure projects. Areas that are traditionally not seen as infra projects like health can still undertake PPP that will allow for the deliver quality services to the people, PPP Center Executive Director PhilamerTorio explained. PPP is not just about building roads and airports. It is also about addressing the most basic social services that government should be able to provide but dont have the resources to do it, Torio added. Since the beginning of 2011, the PPP Center has already screened 36 potential PPP projects that have the potential to be undertaken as a PPP project. Projects were screened and selected according to its significant contributions to the Philippine Development Plan and the value for money it presents to its investors.

Vaccination suspended after children show side effects

By Nadia Fazlulhaq The pentavalent vaccine for children, introduced on January 1 this year under the National Immunisation Programme, has been suspended after it was found that children who had received the vaccination had developed side effects. According to Dr. Paba Palihawadane, deputy head of the Epidemiology Unit, Ministry of Health, a hyper-response was observed in a number of children who were given the vaccination. The response was quite different to the side effects seen in children given other vaccines. Its quite an abnormal situation, Before the new vaccine was introduced, children would be given a triple vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw) and pertussis (whooping cough), a vaccine for Hepatitis B, and the oral polio vaccine. The pentavalent vaccine includes the triple vaccine, the Hepatitis B vaccine and the newly introduced Hib vaccine.This was the first time Sri Lanka introduced the Hib vaccine, which protects children from Hib meningitis (Haemophilus influenza). After extensive research, we have found that a number of Sri Lankan children carry the Hib bacteria, she said. Hib meningitis is an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord, according to Dr. Palihawadane, and shows the same symptoms as other kinds of bacterial meningitis. The vaccine has been found to be effective in many western countries. We have temporarily suspended the pentavalent vaccine, but the triple vaccine, Hepatitis B vaccine and the oral polio vaccine will be continued and given separately, she said. A team of Sri Lankan experts will try to ascertain why children who had received the pentavalent vaccine had abnormal reactions.