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MANILA, Sept.17 (Xinhua) – The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday that at least 36 children under the age of 5 have died of measles in the Philippines this year.
“In 2020, outbreaks of measles are being reported in the Philippines,” DOH said in a statement. “As of August, there are about 3,500 measles cases reported with 36 deaths. Most of the cases are in children under the age of 5.”
In the Philippines, the DOH said that approximately 2.4 million children under the age of 5 are susceptible to measles.
The DOH said that measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world and that up to nine out of 10 people exposed to the measles virus will contract the disease if they are not vaccinated.
DOH will conduct the National Measles and Polio Supplemental Immunization Campaign beginning October 26 of this year. The World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund are supporting the campaign, the DOH added.
DOH targets children under the age of 5, about 9.4 million children for the measles and rubella vaccine and 6.9 million for the oral polio vaccine.
“Despite the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, a high-quality immunization campaign is urgently needed to stop measles transmission and possible outbreaks,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque.
Measles is a dangerous and deadly disease, with complications that can include severe diarrhea and dehydration, pneumonia, eye and ear complications, encephalitis or inflammation of the brain, or permanent disability.
There is no specific treatment for measles. The only reliable protection against measles is vaccination, the DOH said in the statement.
“While measles is highly contagious, it is also a preventable disease. We must not lose the decades of progress we have made in immunizing and protecting Filipino children, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the representative from WHO in the Philippines, Rabindra Abeyasinghe, in the same statement.
He reiterated that the measles vaccine is safe and has been used for 50 years. Final product
