Door to Door Measles Vaccination Program 2011

This summer DOH (Department of Health) launched a nationwide program to eliminate the occurrence of one the most deadly communicable diseases common in tropical and third world countries which is Measles and Rubella (German Measles) targeting children ranging from nine months to those who were to be eight years old. In coordination with all Rural Health Units and Health Centers all over the country via door to door approach in which there are vaccination teams consisting mainly of a vaccinator who also happens to be the team leader, a recorder who takes charge of the household forms and tallying and a guide who is set to guide the team on their assigned areas. Each household will be given stickers markings indicating the number of eligible children that were vaccinated and those who missed the vaccination.


I was tasked to work in a Health Center by the Municipal Government of Bacoor, Cavite for three months in order to be a Family Health Coordinator and to experience Primary Health Care exposed in Community Setting which is so much different from my previous workplace in a Hospital Setting. Coping seems quite stressful in some ways. Being just three weeks in the said field this DOH Program came and as a result I’m bound to cooperate to have been assigned as a recorder. At first there was anxiety, it is so much different to work in the field under extreme sunlight and how paperwork would be handled, then came that day. The angry afternoon sun is one of the things I hate the most that exposures always make me dizzy and irritable. I have no choice but to cope.

Knocking on each house is not an easy thing to do. There were warm replies and kindhearted persons and those with doubtful and incredulous responses that piss me though working in this filed, you must not expect all will turn positive and amiable. I find it toxic checking those household forms, filling up vaccination cards and writing the household details on sticker markings. Thanks to our vaccinator for valiantly helping us place those stickers on houses for my height could not conform placing them on safe places unreachable by children mostly high areas of the house.

Enjoyable this activity in a sense that not just it strengthen my resistance on afternoon sunlight but to meet new faces specifically my team mates and the staffs of Molino 4 Health Center in which I am just borrowed in exchange of their pregnant nurse just for this specific program scope. I learned that in some ways you need to be cool when the environment is super hot and to handle your temper on those uncooperative and sarcastic clients, to educate them about Measles and Rubella and to convince them that this vaccine is so much beneficial in countless ways.

For newbies like me at first it is a form of torture but when you reflect on it in a wide aspect you’ll going to find it worth it because it is not just giving Measles Vaccinations at all but helping our country to progress as well because being free from a specific communicable disease would mean less morbidity and that will lead to more healthier families which will be productive and valuable. Children are our future as a famous song goes, healthy children means healthy future.