THE Department of Health (DoH) said that more than 3,000 measles cases have been reported nationwide from January to November of this year.
Latest data from the health department showed that there are now 3,793 confirmed cases of measles all over the country. The figure is 735 percent higher compared to the 454 confirmed cases that were reported during the same period last year.
Moreover, the DoH said that there were already 48 measles deaths from the first 11 months of this year.
The National Capital Region has the highest number of confirmed measles cases with 739, followed by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with 605 measles cases.
Meanwhile, the DoH saw a drop in measles cases in Zamboanga Peninsula with 240 cases recorded for this year; compared to the 259 cases recorded in 2017.
In an interview, DoH Undersecretary Rolando Enrique Domingo said that the public’s distrust and lack of confidence on the vaccines are among the reasons for the spike in measles cases.
“There is a loss of confidence among our people. There are doubts,” explained Domingo.
“We have been intensifying our communication plans and we’re reaching out to communities to convince them anew on the safety and values of vaccines,” he added.
Domingo said that they are hopeful that by next year, they will be able to “start reversing the trend and catch up” with their vaccination goals and targets again. (Analou de Vera)
