Measles cases up 735%; vaccination decline rued

The Department of Health (DOH) said that cases of measles (tigdas) nationwide from January to November this year rose by a staggering 735 percent increase compared to the same period last year, with the waning trust in vaccination seen as a key factor.

Latest data from the health department showed that 3,793 confirmed cases of measles were reported nationwide in the first 11 months, way beyond the 454 cases reported from January to November 2017.

Moreover, the DOH reported 48 measles-related deaths so far this year.

The National Capital Region has the most number of confirmed measles cases with 739 followed by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with 605 measles cases.

Measles cases, however,dropped in Zamboanga Peninsula with

240 cases recorded for this year, compared to the 259 cases recorded in 2017.

DOH Undersecretary Rolando Enrique Domingo said that the public's distrust and lack of confidence in vaccines is a major cause in the massive spike of measles cases.

"There is a loss of confidence among our people. There are doubts," explained Domingo.

"We have been intensifying our communications plans and we're reaching out to communities to convince them anew on the safety and values of vaccines," he added.

Domingo said that that by next year, the DOH is hoping to ‘start reversing the trend and catch up’ with their vaccination goals and targets.