DOH launches intensified campaign vs measles

A renewed and intensified vaccination campaign against measles has been launched by the Department of Health.

The DOH established on March 13 a national public health emergency operations center (PHEOC) to help address the increasing number of measles cases in the Philippines.

The World Health Organization, the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund and the US Center for Disease Control assisted in setting up the center.

“Code Blue has been practiced in the DOH central office since March 20, which signals intensified activities to mitigate the spread of the virus through vaccination, micronutrient supplementation, community engagement and risk communication,” Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said in a statement.

The PHEOC is supervising on-theground response activities to contain measles cases, he added.

“The DOH targets to vaccinate at least 90 percent of the high-risk population, especially children from six months to 10 years of age in a bid to control measles,” Herbosa noted.

“A non-selective outbreak response immunization strategy for measlesrubella is being implemented in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, together with vitamin A supplementation and a synchronized supplemental immunization activity on bivalent oral polio vaccine,” he said.

The DOH advised the public that respiratory precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic will help protect against measles, pertussis (whooping cough) and other respiratory infections.

Precautions such as wearing a face mask, staying at home when sick, frequent hand washing and going to areas with good airflow will help the public.

The DOH is also working with local government units for catch-up immunization for vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and pertussis.

The international lifting of COVID-19 as a public health emergency – which allowed for more mobility among populations returning to schools and workplaces – may have also heightened the transmission of diseases that could have otherwise been prevented by vaccines, according to experts.

As of Feb. 24, the DOH recorded 569 measles and rubella cases.

All regions except for Bicol and Central Visayas have reported increasing cases in the past month.

There were 163 new cases reported on Feb. 11-24, three percent higher compared to 159 cases two weeks prior.

The epidemiologic profile shows that those under five years of age and who are unvaccinated were the most affected.

Measles is highly contagious. It spreads from infected individuals through the air, especially through coughing or sneezing.

It affects all age groups but is more common in children.

Symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose and a body rash.

There is no specific treatment against the virus that causes measles but vaccination protects against it.

Pertussis on the rise

The DOH reported an alarming increase in pertussis cases nationwide.

During the first 10 weeks of this year, 453 cases of pertussis were recorded, the DOH noted.

In 2022, only two pertussis cases were recorded. Last year, there were 23.

“Disruptions in routine immunization at primary care during the pandemic are seen to be the main reason why (there was an increase),” the DOH said.

The public is urged to have their pentavalent diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenza type B vaccines for free at local health centers, the DOH said.

Whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial respiratory infection that causes influenza-like symptoms of mild fever, colds and coughs seven to 10 days after exposure.