Philippines reports some 669 measles cases, declares outbreak
Philippines, Feb 26, 2010
Health officials in the Philippines have declared a measles outbreak in six areas of the country and have heightened the alert status. According to the Manila Times, the Department of Health (DoH) on Monday (February 22) declared an outbreak in Baseco Compound and Moriones in Tondo, Manila; Barangay Pulang Lupa in Las Pinas City; Central Market in Dasmarinas, Cavite; San Francisco town in Quezon province; and Balabagan town in Lanao del Sur. According to Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral, the country has already recorded a total of 669 cases, 99 of which were reported in the second week of February, the Times reported. "Measles is an airborne disease and is contagious. The disease can also be aggravated due to overcrowding and congestion," Xinhua quoted her as saying. She also said that the number of measles cases recorded from January 1 to February 13 is 70 percent higher than the same period of the previous year. According to the Times, health officials say that the increase in the number of cases was due to rising temperatures and many children in the one to nine age range were not vaccinated. According to the newspaper, the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) had earlier warned the country over the possibility of a reemergence of measles in the country. "The 2004 campaign brought the Philippines closer to measles elimination. But the return of cases and continued low-level transmission since December 2006 following two-and-a-half years of no prior account calls for continued focus on improving routine and campaign vaccination coverage and local government financial commitment to finish the job," the WHO Philippines medical officer, Dr. Howard Sobel, said. Following the 2004 Ligtas Tigdas Campaign of the health department, no measles cases were reported from June 2004 to December 2006. According to the Times, the campaign aimed to vaccinate 18 million children between nine months and eight years of age using a door-to-door strategy nationwide, and decreased cases by 96 percent and deaths from measles by 99 percent. In 2003, some 6,000 children died from measles. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus characterized by a high fever and skin rash that mainly affects young children. In developed countries, most children receive immunization against measles by the age of 18 months.
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