DAVAO CITY—Over 6,000 children have been vaccinated against measles after an outbreak was reported in two call center agencies in the city.
City Health Office Head Dr. Josephine Villafuerte said they immediately conducted an Outbreak Response Immunization (ORI) covering the different barangays in the city.
In a span of two days, over 6,000 were covered by the ORI, Villafuerte said.
“Though the affected area was call center companies, children are the most vulnerable ones in times of measles outbreaks. We intend to cover the entire city to ensure that the children will be safe from measles,” she said.
Last week, 16 call center agents were reported with measles. The CHO recommended their immediate leave “otherwise the entire batch inside the facility will be affected with measles.”
Villafuerte stressed that a single case of measles left untreated can create an outbreak, reason why the CHO treats measles with urgency.
They have requested the call center companies to let city health staff enter their facilities for vaccination. However, firms declined their request, the CHO said.
“You can easily get measles in a place like a call center office. Their facility is so closed that the air is just circling around their office, for an airborne disease such as measles, one can easily acquire it,” she said.
A total of 222 cases have been recorded by the CHO from last November to Jan. 12 this year—68 recorded in January alone.
“We also give MMR or Measles, Mumps and Rubella [German measles] vaccine to all ages to keep them away from the disease. They can all have this vaccine for free,” she said.