The Department of Health (DOH) said over the weekend that all regions in the Philippines are at “high risk” for measles outbreaks due to low vaccine coverage.
DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Dr. Alethea de Guzman said apart from the low vaccine coverage, there is also a need to improve the monitoring and surveillance of measles cases.
“All regions in the Philippines are at high risk for a measles outbreak due to low coverage of measles vaccination and low detection of measles. There is a need to improve not only vaccination but the surveillance for measles.),” De Guzman said.
De Guzman said measles and rubella cases in the country are on an “upward trend.”
De Guzman said at least 489 measles and rubella cases have been recorded from January to October 1, which is 167 percent higher compared to the same period last year.
She said at least 62 percent of cases are from the group of children aged 5 and below. She said that vaccination and the use of face masks are important to prevent the transmission of measles and rubella.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), measles is a “highly contagious, serious” disease caused by a virus that is usually transmitted through direct contact and the air. Its symptoms include high fever, runny nose, a cough, red and watery eyes, and small white spots or rashes.
On the other hand, rubella is a contagious viral infection that most often affects children and young adults. It is transmitted by airborne droplets when infected people sneeze or cough, and may cause a mild fever and rash in children and adults.
For cholera cases, the DOH said at least 3,890 cases were recorded from January to October 1, which is 286 percent higher from cases reported in the previous year.
Based on the data, at least 52 percent or 2,031 infected with cholera this year were females, while 18 percent or 692 were aged 5 to 9 years old.
The DOH said 37 fatalities were recorded, which is 640 percent higher in the same period last year.
The WHO said cholera is an “extremely virulent” disease that can cause severe acute watery diarrhea due to ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
This infection affects both children and adults and can kill within hours if untreated. De Guzman said that the local government units (LGUs) play an important role in the prevention and control of infectious diseases.
“They can adopt locally and relevant policies and strategies aligned to the national guidelines,” she said.
“Our LGUs have the authority to declare localized outbreaks but it has to be supported by sufficient scientific evidence based on our disease surveillance data, epidemiological investigation, environmental investigation, and laboratory investigation,” she said.