The Department of Health yesterday (Thursday) declared a measles outbreak in four other regions in the country due to the increasing number of cases in the past weeks.
The four new regions are Region 4-A (575 cases with nine deaths), Region 3 Central Luzon (192 cases with four deaths), Region 8 Western Visayas (104 cases with three deaths), and Region 7 Central Visayas (71 cases with one death).
The DoH first declared a measles outbreak in the National Capital Region.
“We are expanding the outbreak from Metro Manila to other regions as cases have increased in the past weeks and to strengthen surveillance of new cases and alert mothers and caregivers to be more vigilant,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III during a press briefing at the DoH Central office in Manila.
Duque noted that they are also closely monitoring the Region 4-B, Ilocos, Northern Mindanao, Eastern Visayas, and Socsargen as these areas showed a trend of increasing number of cases.
“These regions should likewise step-up their response against this highly communicable disease, as well as ensure that preventive measures play a vital role in preventing the spread of the disease; these must be emphasized to mothers and general public as a whole,” said the Health chief.
Duque said that there is no new strain of measles in the country. “There is no known new strain of measles virus. Marami lang talaga because of unvaccinated status or defaulters,” he said.
Health Undersecretary Rolando Enrique Domingo said that from 2017 to 2018, there were 1.8 million children who were unvaccinated with measles vaccine.
Domingo said that the country has enough supply of measles vaccine. “Yes, we do because we always buy for the total population target,” he said.
The Health chief emphasized that immunization and Vitamin A supplementation of nine-month-old children are the “best defenses against measles.”
“Supportive measures like building the nutritional status of the sick person and increasing oral rehydration are important measures to increase body resistance and replace lost body fluids caused by coughing, diarrhea, and perspiration,” he added.
He once again reiterated that the measles vaccine is safe and already proven effective. “Ito po ay napatunayan nang dekalidad, ligtas, at epektibo, ito po ay walang bayad, binabayaran po ng inyong gobyerno mula po sa buwis ng taong bayan. Napakamahalaga po…Huwag po natin ilito ang issue ng Dengvaxia sa mga atin pong ibang bakuna na talaga naman pong nakapagbigay na ng proteksyon sa mahabang panahon, ilan dekada na po ang nagdaan,” said Duque. (Analou de Vera)
