Department of Health launches anti-measles campaign

MANILA, Philippines — Amid rising measles cases nationwide, the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday launched the “Ligtas Tigdas” campaign, which provides free vaccination against the potentially deadly infection among young children.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the DOH is also readying a National Measles Supplemental Immunization Activity (SIA) in the National Capital Region (NCR) and in Mindanao in the coming weeks to curb the high incidence of measles.

Duque said the SIA is set in the NCR from April 25 to May 25 and in Mindanao from May 9 to June 8.

“Rest assured that the DOH is deeply committed to protect our children against serious and often fatal vaccine preventable disease like measles through the provision of vaccination,” Duque said.

Vaccination has been proven to be the most effective public health intervention, according to Duque.

Since the last measles mass immunization in 2004, Duque said measles transmission nationwide has significantly dropped.

Measles cases, however, began spreading – leading to some significant outbreaks – in the last quarter of 2017 as a result of the Dengvaxia controversy.

Data from the epidemiology bureau showed 4,168 measles cases recorded nationwide from Jan. 1 to March 26. Of the total cases, 723 were laboratory-confirmed measles, mostly coming from Mindanao.

DOH recorded 13 deaths out of the laboratory-confirmed measles cases.

Outbreak response immunization is being implemented in affected provinces, but the DOH said measles transmission continues until this time.