2.6M children

karoonngkontrobersiya,mas lalopangdumamiangmga magulangnaghe- hesitate na magpabakunangkanilangmga anak ( We can say that Dengvaxia exacerbated the problem as the number of parents who hesitate to get their childen vac-

cinated increased),” she said.

Difficulty in accessing health services as well as vaccination being against their beliefs were also among the reasons for the low immunization coverage.

Castro explained that the measles outbreak occurred in some parts of the National Capital Region (Metro Manila) because of congestion in residential areas, which makes the spread of the disease faster.

Measles outbreaks have been declared in Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas,

Rizal and Quezon) Western Visayas and Central Visayas.

Deadly

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday urged parents to have their children vaccinated amid the measles outbreak in several regions.

In a short message aired over government-owned PTV4, Duterte stressed that measles in children is deadly, and can only be prevented through immunization.

“Mgakababayan,dumadami angkasongtigdasatangkomplikasyon

(To our fellowmen, the case of measles continues to rise and has complications, which is death),” the President said.

“Samgaanaknatin,bakuna lamangangtangingparaanmakaiwas (To our children, vaccination is the only way for them to be protected from this disease),” he added.

Duterte has ordered the DoH to step up the vaccination campaign nationwide.