‘Isolate infants below 6 months during measles outbreak’

MANILA, Philippines — With the rising cases of measles in the country, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III reminded the public yesterday that infants below six months old should be isolated if there is measles outbreak in the community.

According to Duque, it is risky to give anti-measles vaccine to infants aged five months and below.

“Their immune system is not yet fully developed. Aside from that, they have natural protection against measles that they acquired from their mothers,” he told reporters.

Duque said infants infected by measles need to be isolated “and let the body take care of its own” if there are several cases of measles in the community to prevent the spread of the disease.

The Department of Health (DOH) has been conducting immunization program among infants aged nine to 59 months to contain the increasing number of measles cases.

Duque said they expanded the coverage of the vaccination campaign by including infants aged six to nine months. 

“In hospitals, there is triaging where infants are assessed by pediatricians to determine if they suffer from measles complications and need to be confined,” he said.

The DOH recorded 4,302 measles cases with 70 deaths from Jan. 1 to Feb. 9 this year.