Measles outbreak declared in Zamboanga City

An outbreak of measles has been declared in Zamboanga City, the Department of Health (DOH) reported yesterday.

Surveillance reports showed that the number of cases in the city has started to increase in August 2017. At least 166 cases have been reported since January.

A six-month-old boy who died on Feb. 6 showed symptoms of measles, such as fever, rashes, cough, coryza, conjunctivitis, malaise and dyspnea.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III advised parents to isolate children with fever and rashes. He said health workers should seek laboratory confirmation of suspected cases.

Duque reminded hospital personnel to ensure strict implementation of infection control mechanisms to prevent the spread of the disease in health facilities.

Saying vaccination is the best protection against measles, Duque appealed to mothers and guardians to ensure that their children receive a complete dose of measles vaccine.

He said the DOH is determined to win back the public’s trust in the vaccination program in the wake of the Dengvaxia controversy.

“Although some sectors blamed the outbreak to the Dengvaxia issue, it was actually the result of low measles vaccine coverage in the past years that led to the accumulation of susceptible individuals,” Duque said.

“Let us not lose sight of the benefits the other vaccines have provided to us. These have been proven to be very effective in preventing diseases,” he said.