DOH monitoring measles cases after Tino, Uwan

The Department of Health (DOH) is closely monitoring the spread of measles in evacuation centers following the impacts of Typhoons Tino and Uwan.

In a statement on Saturday, DOH shared that there was a 37% increase in measles-rubella cases in the country, with 4,718 cases recorded from January to November.

There were only 3,434 recorded in 2024.

Of the more than 4,000 cases in 2025, 118 were for rubella or German measles.

“Mahigit doble ang itinaas [ng kaso sa taon na ito] mula sa 53 na kaso noong nakaraang taon,” DOH shared.

(The cases this year have more than doubled from the initial 53 cases from the previous year.)

While there were enough vaccines in supply to combat measles, DOH noted that most measles cases in the country (73%) were unvaccinated and mostly aged 5 or below.

The agency said that they have procured an additional 2 million measles-rubella vaccine doses in stock to further prepare for infection amid the typhoon season.

In March, DOH had reported a surge in measles-rubella cases, with more than 900 already reported for the first 3 months of the year.

The rise in cases was mostly observed in National Capital Region, CAR, Ilocos, Bicol, Western Visayas, and SOCCSKSARGEN.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that is transmitted through coughing or sneezing, wherein a patient can easily infect up to 16 individuals.

If left untreated, measles can lead to severe complications such as pneumonia, brain infections, and even death, particularly among children under five years of age.

The health agency advised the public to keep watch for common measles symptoms like fever, rashes, cough, runny nose, and red eyes. —VAL, GMA Integrated News