By Nanette Guadalquiver/Philippine News Agency
BACOLOD CITY — The City Health Office (CHO) here has appealed anew to Bacolodnons to bring their children to health centers for measles immunization as reported cases here increased by 614.3 percent from January 1-July 6 this year.
As of Tuesday, 14 out of the 200 cases recorded since the start of 2019 have been confirmed as measles by the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) of the Department of Health (DOH).
The RITM declared six positive measles cases recently after the initial eight it confirmed earlier.
Dr. Grace Tan, head of CHO Environment Sanitation Division, said many of those afflicted were found to have no history of immunization.
“We call on everyone to bring unimmunized children less than five years old to the health centers. The measles vaccine is free,” she added.
A total of 200 cases were recorded in the first 27 weeks of 2019, from only 28 in the previous year.
“Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease, which means it can be prevented through immunization and no other else,” Tan said.
The target groups include infants aged six, nine and 12 months who can be brought to the barangay health centers for free measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunization every Wednesday.
Children in age-groups above one-year-old and below five years old, and school children in Grades 1 and 7, who missed the school-based immunization, can also visit the health centers for their anti-measles shots.
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