SAN FERNANDO CITY, LA UNION — A renewed vaccination drive is underway in La Union as health authorities race to close childhood immunization gaps that could leave communities vulnerable to measles, rubella and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
The provincial government of La Union and the Department of Health (DOH) launched the 2026 Measles-Rubella Supplemental Immunization Activity (MRSIA) and Vitamin A supplementation program in Bacnotan on August 12, bringing vaccination services directly into communities across the province.
The campaign will run until August 28, targeting children 6 to 59 months old in every barangay of La Union. The initiative is being carried out under DOH Memorandum No. 2026-0219 and forms part of a broader national effort to find and protect children who may have missed routine vaccinations.
Why La Union Is Moving Now
The urgency goes beyond one province.
According to the Philippine Information Agency, 81% of cities and provinces nationwide are reporting low immunization coverage, underscoring the size of the challenge facing the country’s childhood vaccination program.
The problem is particularly concerning for measles because the disease spreads extremely easily among people without adequate immunity.
Recent Philippine health data also point to renewed pressure from measles and rubella. The Philippine News Agency reported that the DOH recorded a 45% increase in measles-rubella cases during the first quarter of 2026, prompting renewed calls for vaccination, particularly among infants and young children.
For health officials, the message is straightforward: closing vaccination gaps before outbreaks accelerate is far easier than trying to contain widespread transmission afterward.
Children as Young as 6 Months Included
Under the third phase of the supplemental campaign, children as young as six months are eligible for additional protection.
Each eligible child is set to receive one supplemental measles-rubella vaccine dose along with Vitamin A supplementation.
Health workers are also taking services closer to families by establishing vaccination posts within communities and reaching remote areas where access to health facilities can be more difficult.
That community-based approach matters because missed vaccinations are not always the result of parents refusing vaccines. Distance, disrupted health services, incomplete records, misinformation and other barriers can all contribute to children falling behind.
The Bigger Philippine Immunization Problem
La Union’s campaign comes as the Philippines attempts to push routine childhood immunization toward the 95% coverage level generally needed to maintain strong population protection.
UNICEF has emphasized that routine immunization remains essential and that vaccines are provided free through government health centers and facilities.
At the national level, the DOH, WHO and UNICEF have been working toward stronger immunization coverage, including strategies unveiled during the 2nd National Immunization Summit in January 2025, where authorities highlighted the goal of achieving 95% child immunization coverage.
UNICEF has also stressed that closing the remaining gaps requires more than simply having vaccines available. Reliable vaccine supplies, quality health services and community trust are all necessary to reach children who remain unprotected.
The country has also begun using technology to improve tracking. In 2025, the DOH, UNICEF and the Government of Japan launched DigiVacc, a digital immunization system designed to replace paper-based vaccination records and help health authorities identify children who still need protection.
Why Measles Is the Immediate Concern
Measles is among the most contagious infectious diseases, meaning even relatively small pockets of under-immunized children can create opportunities for transmission.
WHO and UNICEF continue to warn that vaccination gaps can quickly translate into outbreaks when community immunity falls.
Globally, the latest WHO-UNICEF estimates show that childhood vaccination improved modestly in 2025, but millions of children remained completely unvaccinated. About 13.5 million children worldwide received no routine vaccines at all in 2025, while measles outbreaks continue to demonstrate the consequences of immunity gaps.
The Philippines is therefore confronting a problem that is both local and global: recovering routine vaccination coverage while making sure vulnerable communities are not left behind.
What Parents in La Union Need to Know
For families with young children, the current campaign provides an opportunity to check whether their child has received the vaccines recommended under the national immunization program.
Parents and guardians should coordinate with their barangay health workers, rural health units or local health offices regarding vaccination schedules and eligibility.
The supplemental dose should not be viewed as a replacement for routine childhood vaccination. Instead, it is part of the effort to close protection gaps and reach children who may have been missed.
The stakes are high.
Every child who remains unprotected represents another potential weak point in the community’s defense against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
And with La Union’s campaign running only until August 28, the next two weeks could prove critical in determining how many children are reached before the window closes.
For parents, the message is simple: check the child’s vaccination status, ask the local health center about eligibility, and don’t wait until an outbreak forces the issue.
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