TAGUM CITY (PIA)—The number of suspected cases of measles in Davao del Norte province is "manageable." Just the same, health authorities are appealing to parents to have their children vaccinated against the highly contagious disease.
During the latest edition of Kapihan sa Kapitolyo, Davao Regional Medical Center Infection Control Head Mitzie Lou Osabel revealed that only 10 cases of measles were recorded during the disease surveillance in January 2019.
Though there was one death, Dr. Osabel viewed this figure “as much lower than the 27 cases of measles monitored in January last year.”
She also noted that not all of the patients admitted due to measles were from Davao del Norte.
From the records of health centers at the municipal level, the Provincial Health Office (PHO) listed 20 cases of measles.
Of these cases, seven were in Panabo City; five in Tagum City; five in the Island Garden City of Samal and one in Asuncion, according to Neidel Fiyah Ferido, PHO coordinator on measles monitoring.
As measles-causing rubeola virus can easily spread, Dr. Osabel stressed the need for everyone to observe “cough etiquette” by covering mouth when coughing, to avail of immunization for children and for unvaccinated adults, and to seek medical check-up in case of fever with rashes.
To curb the spread of the virus, PHO Davao del Norte was set to wage mass measles immunization in March.
Ferido called on mothers to bring their children to the nearest health centers and to allow their school children to avail themselves of the measles immunization in campuses.
Measles immunization will also be available to the public during the Festival of Services as the provincial government of Davao del Norte brings a number of government services down to the barangay level.
PHO has tied up with local government units (LGU) to wage this mass immunization and that it has called on LGU executives to fully support the activity, Ferido said. (PIA-11)