BACOLOD CITY — Measles cases in Negros Occidental are still manageable amid the reported outbreak of the infectious disease in Western Visayas, an official of the Provincial Health Office (PHO) said Friday, February 8.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ernell Tumimbang said the provincial government has strengthened its immunization program to address the cases, which significantly increased in the past year.
“We have positive cases. Our measles cases increased, not only in Bacolod City, not only in Negros Occidental but all the Visayas areas,” he said in a radio interview.
In 2018, measles cases in Negros Occidental rose to 103, or by 3,333 percent, from only three in 2017.
Tumimbang said the PHO continues to conduct a supplemental immunization activity.
“We hold door-to-door immunization. We don’t just wait for our clients in the rural health unit or barangay health station. We locate those children who have not been immunized to cover the 95 percent target,” he added.
On Thursday, the Department of Health’s Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) 6 (Western Visayas) reported 166 suspected measles cases with three deaths from January 1 to 26 this year.
Dr. Mary Jane Juanico, medical coordinator for child health program of DOH-CHD 6, said that in the previous year, the CHD-6 has recorded 245 confirmed measles cases from out of the 1,052 suspected cases in Western Visayas. Four suspected deaths are all waiting to be confirmed.
Of the 245 confirmed cases, 94 were from Negros Occidental and 63 from Bacolod City and 32 from Iloilo province.
Juanico noted the low turnout of the measles immunization coverage for children less than a year old.
Partial report of CHD-6’s immunization coverage showed that only 61 percent of babies, who were supposed to have their first dose at nine months old, had been vaccinated.
In terms of all immunizations for babies less than a year old, the CHD also achieved a 61 percent rate. Both turnouts are lower compared to the 67 percent coverage in 2017. (PNA)
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