A total of 33 barangays in 11 municipalities have been identified in Catanduanes as priority implementation sites this year for the initial implementation of PuroKalusugan (PK).
These are: Dugui San Vicente, Marilima and San Vicente in Virac; Mayngaway, Barihay and Lubas in San Andres; Sabloyon, Maysuram and Toytoy in Caramoran; Balagnonan, Tariwara and San Roque in Pandan; San Isidro, Bacak and Suchan in Bagamanoc; San Miguel, Cagdarao and Tibo in Panganiban; Burgos, Batohonan and Villa Aurora in Viga; San Pedro, District III and Dororian in Gigmoto; Agban, Benticayan and Guinsaanan in Baras; Progreso, J.M. Alberto and Obo in San Miguel; and, San Roque, Batalay and Pananaogan in Bato.
The program seeks to deliver targeted health interventions to achieve the DOH’s 8 priority health outcomes: Immunization (95% Fully Immunized Children from 72%); Nutrition (decrease stunting to 13.5% from 27%); Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (increase percentage of population with access to safe water from 88% to 100%); Maternal Health (decrease maternal deaths to below 111 per 100,000 live births from 154); Tuberculosis and HIV (Zero TB case mortality from 34 per 100,000 population and 85% of People Living with HIV diagnosed, 85% of diagnosed PLHIV receiving Antiretroviral Therapy and 85% of those receiving ART achieving viral suppression); Road Safety (decrease death rate attributed to road injuries to 4 from 8 per 100,000 population); Non-Communicable Diseases specifically Hypertension and Diabetes (increase hypertension and diabetes management by 50%); and Non-Communicable Diseases, specifically Cancer (increase screening, diagnoses and treatment of cancer by 50%).
PuroKalusugan Health teams (PKTs) will be created in the identified sites, to be led by a nurse or midwife from the National Health Workforce Support System (NHWSS) or the DOH Human Resources for Health (HRH), with the RHU-assigned nurse or midwife and Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) as members.
The teams will provide health services aligned with the 8 priority health outcomes at least twice a week, conduct resource and gap analysis, and implement Digital Health systems.
These include house-to-house vaccinations service and household profiling of eligible population; household visits for identification of malnourished children, growth monitoring and malnutrition screening, and distribution of micronutrient supplements; conduct water access assessment and demonstrations on handwashing and proper toilet use; track pregnancies and provide antenatal care and postnatal services, and distribute prenatal vitamins, supplements and Family Planning commodities; conduct active TB case finding through house-to-house screenings and conduct contact tracing and areas for TB Preventive Treatment; and, implement active case finding for HIV, provide condoms to engage in safe sex, and conduct contact tracing and follow-ups; conduct safe driving campaigns, identification of BHERTs within the community, and provide emergency response/first aid to patients with road traffic injury; implement lifestyle modification programs against hypertension and diabetes, risk assessment, conduct blood pressure screening and provide antihypertensive and diabetic medications; and, expand access to cervical and breast screening, provide HPV vaccination for adolescent girls, and organizer self-breast examination training for women.
The target PK sites were identified based on the following criteria: areas with poor health outcomes, with outcomes not reaching at least 50% of the National Target; and, Low Health Service coverage or areas with at least one hour of travel (including by foot) from a Primary Care Facility.
In Catanduanes, the municipalities with ongoing implementation of PuroKalusugan are Bato, Caramoran, Pandan, Panganiban, San Miguel, Viga, and Virac.
Meanwhile, a significant decrease in the number of suspected measles and rubella cases in the Bicol region has spurred the Department of Health (DOH) Center for Health Development to implement an intensified routine and catch-up immunization in all provinces.
The campaign, which seeks to ensure high-quality measles and rubella immunization activity in every barangay, municipality and city, will prevent the transmission of the viruses once the target of at least 95% of infants and children aged 9-23 months in each area is achieved.
In his directive issued in February, DOH Regional Director Dr. Rodolfo Albornoz said the conduct of Periodic Intensification of Routine Immunization (PIRI) would maintain the desired population immunity that will deter the occurrence of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPD) outbreaks in the region.
As of March 29, 2025, the Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU) has recorded 15 measles-rubella suspect cases, compared to 36 each in the last two years.
The same data also showed that while laboratory-confirmed measles cases was at 7, compared to a total of 3 in 2023 and 2024, there were no similar rubella cases.
In last week’s press conference, Regional NIP Medical Coordinator Dr. Desiree Bricenio reported that there were 71,070 Fully Immunized Children (FIC) and 14,317 Completely Immunized Children (CIC) in Bicol, out of the 148,559 eligible 0-12 month population.
Catanduanes led the six provinces in the number of FIC at 66.62 percent but had the lowest CIC at 2.97 percent.
In the 1st quarter FIC coverage, the island province’s FIC immunization coverage is at 9.6 percent, just behind Albay’s leading 9.9 percent.
Under the PIRI, all children 0-12 months of age shall be given age-appropriate vaccine such as BCG, Hepatitis B, Pentavalent vaccine, Pneumococcal vaccine (PCV), Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) and Measles-containing Vaccines (MMR).