The alarming number of measles cases in Metro Manila has prompted the Department of Health (DOH) to declare a “measles outbreak” in the metropolis. In January alone, over a thousand cases of measles were recorded in San Lazaro Hospital, a known facility for infectious diseases, and doctors are expecting the number to go up further in February.
Dr. Ferdinand de Guzman, the hospital spokesman, reported on Monday that 248 children and 21 adults were being treated for measles. He said seven deaths were recorded on Monday night alone. Last week, nine children died within a day due to measles, he added.
A highly contagious viral disease, measles was once a common childhood ailment and almost an expected part of growing up. While most children recovered from measles without problems, many others did not. However, with the introduction of the measles vaccine, health authorities were able to protect more children from the disease. Measles is best prevented by the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) combination vaccine or the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) combination vaccine. Almost all people who have two doses of a measles-containing vaccine will be protected against the disease.
Measles usually starts with fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes and sore throat. A rash that spreads over the body follows. Measles can spread when an infected person talks, breathes, coughs or sneezes tiny particles containing infectious agents into the air. These are called small particle aerosols. Due to their tiny size, small particle aerosols can travel long distances on air currents and remain suspended in the air for minutes to hours. One can also get the disease by contact with hands, tissues and other articles soiled by nose and throat discharges.
In 2018, the World Health Organization has advised Filipino parents to have their children vaccinated against measles, as the number of cases of the disease increased by an alarming 367 percent in the country. However, some parents refused or delayed vaccinating their children out of fear about the safety of the measles vaccine. A health scare over Dengvaxia, a pioneering dengue vaccine, is partly to blame for the decline in child immunization. The current measles outbreak could have been prevented if parents allowed the vaccination of their children, according to health officials.
The government has reported five outbreaks of measles, one of the world’s leading killers of children, since December, a period coinciding with the row over Dengvaxia, which some parents blamed for child deaths. The government suspended the Dengvaxia vaccine and threatened to sue Sanofi Pasteur shortly after the French pharmaceutical firm disclosed that it could worsen symptoms for people not previously infected by the dengue virus.
Unfortunately, government programs against other deadly but preventable diseases, like measles, became collateral damage, with immunization rates going down below 60 percent in January, according to the DOH.
For concerned parents, the current measles outbreak in Metro Manila is a stark reminder of the importance of making sure your children are fully vaccinated. Choosing not to vaccinate your children only leaves them susceptible to the deadly disease.