HEALTH Undersecretary Enrique Tayag on Monday said the government has rolled out a nonselective immunization drive in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM) for children 6 months to 5 years to curb the increasing measles cases in the region.
In a public briefing, Tayag said the department has recorded 2,600 cases of measles in the last six months or since September 2023.
Of this number, over 1,400 were in BARMM, specifically in Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte and Sulu.
Recent data from the Department of Health (DoH) have also shown that from Jan. to Feb. 24, 2024, 569 measles and rubella cases were reported nationwide.
This is 469 percent higher than the 100 cases during the same period last year.
Epidemiologic profile shows that those under 5 years of age and who are unvaccinated are the most affected.
"We had a very low immunization coverage among children," admitted Tayag, saying only 72 percent of children 6 months to 5 years old are fully immunized.
"We cannot avoid an outbreak because the number of susceptible are increasing yearly. That's why we are conducting a catch-up vaccination drive," he added.
Tayag said that a child as young as 6 months old should have the pentavalent 5-in-1 vaccine, also known as the DTaP/IPV/Hib vaccine, which should be given to 6 months old, 2 years old, 4 to 6 years old, and 11 years old.
The single injection of the pentavalent vaccine protects children against five serious childhood diseases -- diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and Hib or Haemophilus influenza type b.
However, children and adults may be given antibiotics as a protection against the disease.
"Regardless if a child has received or has not received a vaccine for measles, he will be vaccinated, because if not, the immunization drive will be delayed if the health workers will ask whether the baby was already immunized," clarified Tayag.
"If they are worried that the baby may be overdosed, there's nothing like that in vaccine. And that will be explained in our fellows in BARMM," Tayag said.
The DoH targets to fully immunize 95 percent of children in two to three years.
Measles is highly contagious. It spreads from infected individuals through the air, especially through coughing or sneezing.
It affects all age groups but is more common in children. Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, and a body rash.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) said it will join the government in a massive six-month immunization activity nationwide in the face of rising cases of measles in the country.
"We need to act fast," said PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Gordon.
"We must vaccinate, isolate and support initiatives to temper the outbreak. Our network of volunteer doctors and nurses will do the massive vaccination," he added.
In a statement, PRC said Gordon instructed the agency to deploy volunteers and ensure volunteer emergency response vehicles and motorcycles are sent across the country as soon as possible so children can be vaccinated against measles at the soonest time.
Gordon has also instructed to ready medical tents and its emergency field hospital in case hospitals are overloaded with patients like what PRC did during the 2019 measles outbreak.
Secretary General Dr. Gwendolyn Pang said the PRC is in continuous collaboration with government agencies, particularly the DoH, in addressing the new health scare.
"We have to interrupt the transmission of the virus. With that, the vaccination campaign must be nonselective to ensure everyone is vaccinated," Pang said.
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