Measles cases up, dengue down – DOH

A measles outbreak has been reported in some areas in Mindanao and Taguig City while over 10,000 dengue cases have been recorded nationwide – lower than the figure reported in the same period last year – as the controversy over the Dengavaxia vaccine continues to rage.

According to the Department of Health-Autonomous Ayala Corp. chairman and CEO Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (front row, 6th from left) is the recipient of the 2018 Metrobank Foundation Professorial Chair for Public Service and Governance. Zobel delivered a lecture on Feb. 27 at the Ateneo Professional Schools in Makati. Joining him are Ateneo de Manila University president Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin; Dr. Antonette Angeles, VP for the Professional Schools; Dr. Manuel Dayrit, dean, Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health; Ernesto Tanmantiong, Chairman, board of trustees, Ateneo de Manila University and president, Jollibee Foods Corp.; Aniceto Sobrepeña, president, Metrobank Foundation; and Dr. Alfredo Bengzon, former health secretary and founding dean, Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health.

Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), a total of 213 suspected cases of measles were recorded in ARMM in January alone, an effect of low vaccine coverage in the past years.

Four deaths were recorded in Maguindanao, and one each in Lanao del Sur and Sulu.

The DOH also reported 166 cases in Zamboanga City with one casualty.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) said the measles outbreak in Mindanao prompted the organization to conduct massive health education and information drive to prevent the disease from spreading.

At least 143 health volunteers and staff in the affected chapters were mobilized by the PRC to strictly monitor and validate suspected cases of measles in their respective communities.

The PRC said its Zamboanga City chapter also assisted in providing vaccines to almost 300 children in Barangay Sangali, Talon-Talon and Kasangyangan.

Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano, on the other hand, assured her constituents that they are exerting all efforts to protect them from measles. Cayetano made the assurance a few hours after the DOH confirmed an outbreak of the disease in one of the barangays.

“I am also appealing to the residents to have their children immunized for a measles-free Taguig,” Cayetano said in a statement.

Cayetano said medical personnel of the City Health Office have been conducting door-todoor immunization of children in all the villages and that relevant information about the disease is being relayed again to residents.

Dengue cases

Data from the DOH also showed a total of 10,980 cases of dengue admitted in various hospitals nationwide in the first two months of the year.

“The figure is 41.38 percent lower compared to the same time period last year, which was at 18,731,” the DOH noted.

Of the total cases from January to February, 51 ended in death or a case fatality rate of less than one percent.

A majority of the cases belonged to the age group of 10 to 14.

The DOH also noted that more than half or 53 percent of the cases were males.

Most of the dengue cases were recorded in areas where the mass dengue vaccine program was implemented.

Calabarzon accounted for the biggest number of cases with 2,503, followed by Central Luzon with 1,964, and National Capital Region (NCR) with 1,820.

But Ilocos region posted 121 percent increase in cases, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), 55 percent; and Calabarzon, 25 percent.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development said it has joined ongoing government efforts to identify children inoculated with Dengvaxia, focusing on those belonging to Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) family-beneficiaries upon the request of the Department of Education.

DSWD officer-in-charge, Undersecretary Emmanuel Leyco, said medical assistance would be given to the children who need attention.

“We also call for strengthened efforts in the village and municipal levels to prevent the proliferation of denguecarrying mosquitoes in our communities which pose great threats to the health of Filipino children,” he added.

Among members of the Philippine National Police, a total of 61 police personnel and their dependents vaccinated with Dengvaxia last year sought medical attention after experiencing flu-like symptoms, muscle pain and slight fever. Senior Superintendent Raymund Sales, chief of PNP General Hospital, said patients with other symptoms were immediately transferred to other hospitals, including Philippine Children Medical Center for further observation. “Immediately after the issue came out, we established our dengue desk…Out of the 61, two were immediately transferred to another hospital. There were abdominal pains. The two were diagnosed with acute appendicitis and were operated on,” Sales said.

He said another one was admitted to the hospital for observation on Wednesday due to flu and slight fever.

Supt. Stanley Sevillano, chief of the PNP GH internal medicine department, said common complaints of patients include sore throat, fever, cough and flu.

Police officials also confirmed a STAR report that a PNP utility worker died of pneumonia last January several months after he was injected with Dengvaxia vaccine. Authorities said they have yet to establish the link between the death of the utility worker and the vaccine. –