Being the recipient of the free Tetanus Toxoid vaccination project of the Department of Health, the Department of Education urged the former to provide an information drive to various schools to explain the rationale of the project as a way of clarifying negative claims of some pro-life groups.
DepEd regional director Susana Estigoy begged off to answer claims of some pro-life groups that the free vaccination that DOH and DepEd will provide is one form of birth control as the vaccine is said to have an enzyme that does not allow a baby to grow in one’s uterus.
“The DepEd is simply a recipient of this program. The DOH is in the right position to counter the claims of some groups,” she told the media in the city.
Estigoy recommended for DOH to explain the necessity of the program to the recipient students as this would be crucial in the decision-making of the parents.
The education official stressed that the parents’ consent should be secured before providing vaccination to the qualified recipient.
Previously, pro-life advocate Judge Jesus Quitain questioned DepEd’s memorandum order that provides free tetanus toxoid vaccination to females 14-years old and above in all public schools.
“If the main purpose of the vaccination is for anti-tetanus, then why did they limit it only to females 14 years old and above, when even males are actually more prone to tetanus infection?” he said.
Dr. Baby Palabyab, also a pro-life advocate, explained the medical implication of the tetanus vaccine which, according to her, contains the chemical component human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG).
She stated that the vaccine in question may protect the human body from tetanus, however, another effect of such is that it doesn’t make one pregnant within 10 years.
“The placenta produces hCG, an antibody that doesn’t allow the survival of a baby,” Palabyab informed.
The group believes that such a program is directly related to the reproductive health bill which the present administration is a staunch believer of.
Health officials, on the other hand, replied to such a claim. Health planning and medical specialist Dr. Racquel Montejo of DOH 11 clarified that the vaccination program targets women of reproductive age which starts at 14 years old who may be prone to neonatal death when they give birth.
She also said that the TT vaccination does not contain any form of hCG as claimed by Quitain’s group.
The DepEd bared that the start of the vaccination program in the region is yet to start and that it would be proper if recipients be given the right information before undergoing vaccination. [PIA 11/Mai Gevera]
