Immunize Millions Without Burning Waste
Health Care Without Harm and the Philippine Department of Health cooperated on a vaccination program. In this combined venture millions of children were protected from measles. Throughout the program not even a single syringes was incinerated.
Health care professionals vaccinated 18 million children in February. This vaccination program generated an estimated 19.5-million auto-disable syringes. This vast medical-waste was treated in autoclaves or microwave facilities and then buried in waste pits or encased in concrete vaults. Needle destruction technologies also were used in some areas.
The Philippine Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said that The Philippine Measles Campaign experience is the largest mass immunization program that handled its medical waste without any incineration or open burning.
Philippines was the first country to ban the burning of all waste, including medical waste, for health and environmental reasons. The ban came into effect in 1999.
Health Care Without Harm represents medical professionals and institutions and advocates environmental sustainability. It released a report on the program on its Web site, www.noharm.org.