2025 INTROP Community Immunity Workshop

Entrenched gaps in the local implementation of booster dose administration prescribed by the National Immunization Program (NIP), with a sharp focus on children aged 12 to 59 months who remain vulnerable despite primary series completion, were reviewed in a multistakeholder forum recently. The community immunity workshop was convened by the Division of Infectious and Tropical Diseases in Pediatrics (INTROP) at UP-Philippine General Hospital on July 17, 2025, at the LaVie Hall, New Coast Hotel Manila, in collaboration with Sanofi Pasteur. It brought together pediatric infectious disease specialists, Department of Health (DOH) representatives, and frontline health officers from 11 Local Government Units (LGUs) across Metro Manila and CALABARZON regions.

Expert perspectives

Authoritative insights into vaccinology from each speaker articulated targeted perspectives on optimizing immunization strategies.

Professor Dr Anna Lisa Ong–Lim
Chief, Division of INTROP, UP-PGH,
College of Medicine, UP Manila
Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist

Dr Anna Ong-Lim asserted that vaccinations yield profound health and economic benefits, particularly when countering hesitancy through tailored messaging that highlights contextual advantages amid digital misinformation challenges. Reframing vaccines as investments in societal productivity, reducing morbidity costs and enhancing workforce participation, drives uptake in skeptical communities.

Professor Dr Ma. Liza Antoinette Gonzales
Associate Dean for Faculty and Students,
College of Medicine, UP Manila
Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist
INTROP-UP-PGH

Dr Ma. Liza Antoinette Gonzales provided a comprehensive review of vaccination principles, emphasizing that adherence to evidence-based guidelines on dose intervals, contraindications, and co-administration safety maximizes immunogenicity without undue risk. Modern vaccine platforms, including adjuvanted formulations, enable flexible scheduling to accommodate real-world disruptions.

Associate Professor Dr Francesca Mae Pantig
College of Medicine, UP Manila,
Pediatric infectious disease specialist
INTROP-UP-PGH

Dr Francesca Mae Pantig advocated for robust catch-up paradigms, noting that structured protocols for missed doses and booster-requiring vaccines close immunity gaps in underserved cohorts. Age-stratified algorithms prioritize high-risk groups, ensuring no child falls through the cracks post-primary series.

Clinical Associate Professor Dr Paul Sherwin Tarnate
College of Medicine, UP Manila
Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist,
INTROP-UP-PGH

Dr Paul Sherwin Tarnate championed maternal immunization as a vital bridge for neonatal protection by transferring antibodies transplacentally and via breastfeeding. Innovative uptake strategies, such as antenatal integration and partner education, reduce early-life pertussis and influenza burdens.

Associate Professor III Dr Marimel Pagcatipunan
College of Medicine, UP Manila,
Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist
INTROP-UP-PGH

Dr Marimel Pagcatipunan dissected pertussis outbreak dynamics, noting that waning primary protection necessitates preemptive boosters, especially under conditions favoring aerosol transmission in crowded settings. Local surveillance informs timing, with boosters restoring mucosal immunity to interrupt transmission chains.

Associate Professor Dr Sally Jane Aro
College of Medicine, UP Manila,
Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist
INTROP-UP-PGH

Dr Sally Jane Aro analyzed vaccination program implementation, highlighting that success hinges on stakeholder mapping, phased rollouts, and lessons from international models like those in Southeast Asia. Enablers such as political buy-in and supply chain fortification support novel vaccine introductions.

These perspectives collectively affirm that vaccinology's evolution demands proactive, multifaceted strategies beyond primary dosing.

Operational challenges in LGU immunization delivery

Fragmented health information systems and overreliance on undertrained barangay health workers perpetuate tracking failures and campaign fatigue in mobile populations were common operational realities identified that hindered immunization delivery. Caregiver myths like equating three-dose primaries to lifelong immunity, and preschooler exclusion from school drives heighten vulnerability,  compounded by guideline ambiguities like non-alcohol antisepsis leading to rare but severe iatrogenic events. (See Figure 1)

^{Figure 1. Operational challenges in LGU immunization delivery}

Scalable innovative interventions

^{Figure 2. Scalable innovative interventions and collective advocacy}

Innovative best practices from different LGUs scaled to national implementation could signal a pivot to pro-active risk-stratified routines leveraging local surveillance data for targeted. interventions^. (See Figure 2)

Consensus recommendation: Forging LGU and national pathways

Expert and participant consensus forged LGU-centric directives and nationally- recommended imperatives into a cohesive action continuum leveraging a whole-of-society approach, with the following specific recommendations.

These propositions, both locally grounded and nationally relevant, position the workshop as a blueprint for participatory policymaking by the DOH Technical Working Groups, aligning with WHO post-pandemic health systems resilience agendas.

^{Figure 3. Consensus recommendations}

Implications for health policy and future directions 

Highlighting the local challenges and innovative grounded strategies in the program implementation of vaccination booster doses emphasizes that strategic and mainstream policymaking from planning to evaluation of booster dose administration is integral to ensure that no child is left behind especially as the country transitions to an operational Universal Health Care system. These insights go beyond mere vaccination coverage improvement but into enduring health and social impacts like vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD) suppression that safeguards the future generations. Healthcare leaders are implored to champion these evidence-rooted shifts, hopefully transforming local health architectures into bulwarks of community immunity.