BACOLOD CITY — The City Health Office (CHO) here is exerting efforts to maintain zero measles cases by encouraging parents to have their children immunized to prevent the disease in the wake of reported outbreak in certain provinces.
As of the March 14 reporting date, Bacolod has no reported cases of measles.
Dr. Rosalie Deocampo, medical coordinator of National Immunization Program in Bacolod, on Friday said the city has controlled measles in the past three years because of high immunization coverage.
Immunization is the best action to prevent the disease and the occurrence of outbreak, Deocampo added as she allayed fears amid the scare brought by the anti-dengue vaccination.
Measles, also known as rubella, is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by a virus which manifests through total body skin rash and flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough and runny nose.
CHO data showed that in 2017, a total of 11,957 children in Bacolod, which is 74 percent of the 16,139 target population to be immunized, have been vaccinated.
Last year, Bacolod topped in Western Visayas in the implementation of the immunization program.
Deocampo said that vaccines being used in routine immunizations for less than one-year-olds have been used for several decades already and proven to control the increase, spread, and even death outcome of the vaccines preventable diseases.
She added that for a child to be declared fully protected from measles, he or she should avail of two doses of vaccines from less than one-year-old or until 15 months old.
Dr. Grace Tan, head of CHO Environment Sanitation Division, said Bacolod could maintain its “zero measles case” if it would also maintain a high immunization coverage.
“We encourage parents to have their children vaccinated which is the only way to avoid the spread of diseases,” she added.
As of March 16, the Department of Health in Western Visayas confirmed eight cases of measles in Region 6, including one in Cauayan, Negros Occidental.
The province of Antique has the highest with four cases, prompting the provincial government to declare a measles outbreak last week. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
