4 Bacolod inmates test positive of measles

FOUR inmates of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Barangay Handumanan, Bacolod City were tested positive of measles.

Dr. Grace Tan, head of the City Health Office (CHO)-Environment Sanitation Division, said on November 12, about 25 inmates have been suffering from fever and rashes inside BJMP-Handumanan.

Of the 25 inmates, 19 inmates have been placed in the isolation area.

Tan said four of the five inmates who underwent the swab test were tested positive of measles.

On November 14, about 1,000 inmates including the BJMPHandumanan personnel were immunized by the CHO to stop the spread of the virus.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that lives in the nose and throat mucus of an infected person. It can spread to others through coughing and sneezing. Also, measles virus can live for up to two hours in an airspace where the infected person coughed or sneezed.

“We are all high-risk as being a carrier of these illnesses. The measles, mumps, and rubella diseases can be prevented through immunization,” Tan said.

The CHO encouraged the public to always wash their hands. If soap and water are not available, clean their hands with hand sanitizer and cover their mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve, not with hands, when coughing or sneezing to prevent illness.