Measles cases in the Philippines have increased by 735 percent from January to November 17 this year compared to the same period last year, the Department of Health (DoH) said.
According to official government data, an increase of 735 percent or 3,793 cases, with 48 deaths, have been reported from January to November 17 this year, compared to the 454 cases, with 9 deaths, in the same period last year.
“Our measles cases have been really high for 2018. In 2017, we had 454 cases of measles all over the country. As of the end of November 2018, we have 3,793 cases, so our number of measles cases is more than seven times this year,” Health Undersecretary Rolando Domingo said.
The regions that recorded the most cases were National Capital Region (NCR) with 739 cases, Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with 605, Davao region with 388, and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Soccsksargen with 355 each.
Those with the highest increase of confirmed cases were Western Visayas with 162 from one case last year (16,100 percent), NCR with 739 from eight cases (9,138 percent),
Northern Mindanao with 247 from 4 cases (6,075 percent), Soccsksargen with 355 from 6 (5,817 percent), and Central Visayas with 136 cases from 3 (4,433 percent).
Despite government efforts, the Health official admitted that the Dengvaxia controversy affected their immunization program.
About 830,000 people, mostly school children, were inoculated with Dengvaxia under the government’s immunization program only to be warned later by its manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur, that the vaccine might cause severe dengue in people who have not been exposed to the dengue virus.
“There happened to be some loss of confidence I think, from the people. There have been doubts and trepidation, but hopefully, we are furthering our communication plans to reach out to the communities and convince them on the safety and values of vaccination,” Domingo said.
He said they hoped to “start reversing the trend” and catch up with their immunization goals, as the DoH plans by the end of the year to set up a campaign to inform the public about measles vaccination.
Measles comes from a virus in the paramyxovirus family and can be passed through direct contact and through the air, and infects the respiratory tract.
Symptoms include high fever, runny nose, cough, red and watery eyes and small white spots inside the cheeks, which can develop in the initial stage, followed by rashes on the face and neck.