DOH: All Philippine regions at ‘high risk’ for measles outbreak due to low vaxx coverage

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said all regions in the Philippines are at “high risk” for measles outbreak due to low vaccine coverage.

DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Dr. Alethea de Guzman said apart from the low vaccine coverage, there is also a need to improve the monitoring and surveillance of measles cases.

“Lahat ng rehiyon sa Pilipinas ay at high risk for a measles outbreak dahil sa mababang coverage ng measles vaccination at mababang detection ng measles. Kailangan iimprove hindi lamang vaccination but the surveillance for measles,” De Guzman said in a forum.

(All regions in the Philippines are at high risk for a measles outbreak due to low coverage of measles vaccination and low detection of measles. There is a need to improve not only vaccination but the surveillance for measles.)

De Guzman said measles and rubella cases in the country are on the “upward trend.”

She said at least 489 measles and rubella cases have been recorded from January to October 1, which is 167% higher compared to the same period last year.

The DOH official said at least 62% of cases are from the group of children aged 5 and below.

She then said that vaccination and use of face masks are important to prevent the transmission of measles and rubella.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), measles is a “highly contagious, serious” disease caused by a virus that is usually transmitted through direct contact and through the air. Its symptoms include high fever, runny nose, a cough, red and watery eyes, small white spots or rashes.

On the other hand, rubella is a contagious viral infection that most often affects children and young adults. It is transmitted by airborne droplets when infected people sneeze or cough, and may cause a mild fever and rash in children and adults.

For cholera cases, the DOH said at least 3,890 cases were recorded from January to October 1, which is 286% higher from cases reported in the previous year.

Based on the data, at least 52% or 2,031 infected with cholera this year were female, while 18% or 692 were aged 5 to 9.

The Health Department said 37 fatalities were recorded, which is 640% higher in the same period last year.

The WHO said cholera is an “extremely virulent” disease that can cause severe acute watery diarrhea due to ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.

This infection affects both children and adults and can kill within hours if untreated.

Meanwhile, De Guzman said that the local government units (LGUs) play an important role in prevention and control of infectious diseases.

“They can adopt locally and relevant policies and strategies aligned to the national guidelines,” she said.

“Ang ating mga LGUs ay mayroong (Our LGUs have the) authority to declare localized outbreaks but it has be supported by sufficient scientific evidence based on our disease surveillance data, epidemiological investigation, environmental investigation, and laboratory investigation,” she added. — RSJ, GMA News