DOH eyes end to BARMM measles outbreak in weeks

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa on Wednesday expressed hope that the measles outbreak in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will get controlled in four to six weeks as the Department of Health (DOH) ramps up the vaccination of children in the region against the highly contagious disease.

In a Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, Herbosa said about 500,000 children in BARMM have been vaccinated since the DOH started its major immunization drive on April 1, following the surge of measles cases in the region.

Over 1.3 million children in BARMM are targeted to receive the measles vaccine during the campaign which is set to last until April 12.

“We do hope in about four to six weeks, we can declare that the situation of measles outbreak in BARMM is already controlled… We’re getting there. Hindi pa kami nandodoon [we’re not there yet], but we’re on track,” Herbosa said.

The Health chief said that around 2,500 measles cases were recorded nationwide and 1,600 of these came from BARMM alone. Four people have also died due to the disease that commonly affects children.

Herbosa attributed the high number of measles cases in BARMM to vaccine hesitancy. He said the rest of the country had an 85% vaccination rate, while BARMM only had 50%.

“Mataas ang vaccine hesitancy sa BARMM. This is a perennial problem, madaming parents doon ang hindi naniniwala sa vaccine. ‘Yan ang uphill battle. I said, hindi pupwede ‘to kasi you're having a measles outbreak [when] measles is a vaccine-preventable disease,” he added.

(Vaccine hesitancy is high in BARMM. This is our perennial problem as many parents there do not believe in vaccines. That's the uphill battle. I told them that this shouldn’t be the case as they’re having a measles outbreak [when] measles is a vaccine-preventable disease.)

Herbosa said the immunization drive in BARMM might also need to be extended as they had to stop vaccinating on Wednesday in light of the Eid’l Fitr.

He, however, noted that some provinces are “doing very well” in terms of vaccination, such as Sulu and Maguindanao del Sur.

As the entire Philippines has a “high” vaccination rate, Herbosa also said there is no need to declare a measles outbreak nationwide.

“Should I be scared of measles for the rest of the country? Yes, may measles cases na nare-report sa ibang country, but I cannot declare an outbreak kasi mataas ang vaccination rate ngayon, kasi nasa 85%,” he said.

(Yes, other countries have also recorded measles cases, but I cannot declare an outbreak in the Philippines because we have a high vaccination rate now at 85%.)

“Although may cases pa rin ng measles. That means kung 85%, may 15% na mga bata na supposedly unprotected,” he added.

(However, we still have measles cases. If we have an 85% vaccination rate, about 15% of children are still unprotected.)

The DOH is aiming to vaccinate at least 90% of the high-risk population, especially children aged 6 months to 10 years, to control measles in the country.

Measles is a contagious disease which spreads from infected individuals through the air, especially through coughing or sneezing. It affects all age groups, but is more common in children.

Its symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and a body rash.—AOL, GMA Integrated News