Cebu, 2 highly urbanized cities at high risk for measles outbreak

CEBU Province and the highly urbanized cities of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue have seen an increasing number of measles cases, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

The three local government units belong to Central Visayas, which are among the country’s 17 regions that may soon see a measles outbreak as they are considered to be at high risk, according to DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Dr. Alethea de Guzman.

In a recent virtual press briefing, de Guzman said all 17 regions in the country are highly likely to register measles outbreaks.

“Measles is a dangerous and fatal disease, with complications that can include severe diarrhea and dehydration, pneumonia, ear and eye complications, encephalitis or swelling of the brain, or permanent disability. There is no specific treatment for measles. The only reliable protection from measles is vaccination,” according to the DOH.

According to the latest DOH data, there have been 489 measles cases reported from Jan. 1 to Oct. 1 this year.

This is 167 percent higher than the 306 cases recorded during the same period in 2021.

“Measles cases are on an upward trend. While a small number of case increases were seen, positive growth changes were observed nationally,” de Guzman said.

She noted how Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Central Visayas and National Capital Region have reached their respective epidemic thresholds for the past four weeks.

Apart from Cebu Province and the cities of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue, de Guzman also said that an increasing number of measles cases were observed in Dagupan City, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Batangas, Quezon, Palawan, Leyte, Zamboanga del Norte, Davao City, Surigao del Sur, Malabon City, Muntinlupa City, Pasig City and Quezon City.

“As we can see, all regions in the Philippines are at high risk for measles outbreak,” said de Guzman, who attributed the cause to the low immunization rate among children over recent years.

For 2021 alone, de Guzman said around 1.6 million children were without measles vaccination.

“If we take into account the years before 2021, we have over three million. That is a large number of children that are not vaccinated,” said de Guzman.

The health official added that measles outbreaks in the country usually occur every four to five years.

She said the last two measles outbreaks were seen in 2014 and 2018 to 2019.

“This is why we are projecting an impending outbreak possibly in the next year or two if we fail to increase our vaccination coverage,” said de Guzman.

The World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund earlier flagged the Philippines over a potential measles outbreak.

The country’s regions are the National Capital Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Bicol in Luzon; Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas in the Visayas; and Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen; Caraga and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in Mindanao. (HDT, KAL )