“It is probably safer to assume that the number of measles cases is going down in many areas but we need to validate our figures,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told reporters during the celebration of World Immunization Week in Manila.
But Duque said his department could not lift the measles outbreak status in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Calabarzon where the highest incidence was recorded.
READ: Measles outbreak in Metro Manila, Luzon
“We have to be more prudent in saying that measles outbreaks are over in these regions because we still feel that parents must continue to bring their children to the health centers, so it’s about giving them more opportunity to bring their unvaccinated children for measles vaccines and other vaccines for diphtheria, pneumonia, hepatitis B, tetanus, etcetera which are meant to protect the people’s health,” Duque said.
He said the Epidemiology Bureau had recorded 31,056 measles cases from Jan. 1 up to April 13 this year compared with only 6,641 for the same period in 2018.
“And that is five times more than the figures in 2018. The number of deaths has reached 415 until week 15 compared to 59 in 2018. With the help of our vaccine heroes we immunized 3.8 million of six to 59 months old children against measles since February this year,” Duque said.
READ: Measles cases doubled, says Health chief
To achieve the 95 percent immunization coverage nationwide, the Health department also launched its school-based immunization for adults.
“The grade schoolers’ group from Kinder to grade 6, our target is 8 million, and as of April 24 we’re done with the eleven percent,” Duque said.
“When we launched our outbreak response immunization, it was almost the end of the school year, and we’ll restart with our massive immunization two after the schools, classes have fully opened, and for the 12 years old and above our coverage is at 42 percent or 2.2 million.”
Duque said the restored confidence of the people in vaccines brought down measles cases.
The latest data from the DOH-EB showed that the highest measles cases at 3,743 were recorded on Feb. 23 this year. The slide in the measles cases became significant the following month as the DOH continued with its massive outbreak response immunization. PNA
While the downtrend in the measles cases is good news, United Nations Children’s Fund Health and Nutrition Chief Wigdan Madani said the battle against the disease and other vaccine-preventable diseases was not yet over.
“It is important to focus really on the next steps, the unfinished business through immunization because there is not only a measles outbreak but also a polio outbreak in some areas. We ask everyone, the health workers, to support the government initiatives to reach out to every child,” she said.
Madani also urged the parents, particularly the mothers, to have their children vaccinated.
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