By Emme Rose Santiagudo
Correspondent
THE number of suspected measles cases in Region 6 increased to 688 as of February 22, 2019, according to the Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DoH-CHD)-6.
So far, 33 cases were already confirmed, including a 4-day-old female infant from Bacolod City.
According to Mary Jane R. Juanico, Medical Officer III and Child Health team leader of DoH-CHD 6, the infant is so far the youngest confirmed and documented measles case.
“The youngest patient documented and confirmed positive was a 4-day-old infant from Bacolod City and the oldest was 64 year-old male from Hinigaran,” she said.
The infant was possibly infected by her mother who, according to Dr. Juanico, was diagnosed with fever and rashes.
“We are still waiting for the official report of the mother but the infant is safe and she has already been discharged from the Corazon Montelibano Locsin Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City,” the physician said.
Based on DOH-6 data, Negros Occidental still has the highest number of cases with 253, followed by Antique (161), Bacolod City (97), Iloilo Province (76), Aklan (40), Capiz (24), and Iloilo City (26).
The number of deaths remains at three.
Dr. Juanico said 75 percent of the suspected measles patients are unimmunized.
DoH-6 said it continues to step up immunization efforts, particularly the priority targets.
Based on the same DoH data, 2,607 children belonging to the age group of 6-59 months have already been vaccinated, including 1,238 health workers.
“For a child to be protected by at least 95%, they should get at least two doses of measles vaccine,” Dr. Juanico said.
Renilyn R. Reyes, DoH-6 medical officer IV, said, “If our immunization coverage is successful, for sure the cases will decrease,” she said.
“Out of the three deaths, two deaths are under five so they are more prone for complication and death. The efforts of DoH-6 and local government unit should be vaccinating all children under five,” she added.
This should be followed by targeting the second priority age groups, Dr. Reyes said. “These are children grade 1-7 children, nga na-immunize na naton (who were already immunized) last year supposedly but because of the different factors we need to do catch-up immunization. After health workers, those nga may (those who have) close contact, then adults. If there are still sufficient vaccines, then amo na pag-vaccinate sa (then we vaccinate) outside the priority areas.”
Health workers and local government units (LGUs) have started door-to-door immunization on measles, targeting unvaccinated children aged six to 59 months old to prevent the further spread of the virus.
Dr. Juanico said their goal is to provide technical assistance and to assess compliance with the set recommendations of DoH-6 like the kind of strategies they are employing so that they can vaccinate more children, and to check if the hospitals have their measles fast lanes and provision of isolation areas.
She also said nurses under the DoH’s Nurse Deployment Program will also provide vaccination services in public schools targeting unvaccinated learners in Grades 1 and 7 starting next week.
DoH-6 Regional Director Marlyn W. Convocar said for her part, “It’s possible that we increase the number of cases because of the awareness generated. That would be a good thing for us because mothers came out into the open. They brought their children to the health centers.”
