Senator Richard Gordon on Friday prodded parents to have their children inoculated to stop measles outbreak, citing reports on rising cases of measles spreading in Luzon, Central and Eastern Visayas regions.
In a statement, Senator Gordon, who also sits as chairman of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), appealed to parents not to risk their children’s health.
“Sa mga magulang, wag natin isawalang-bahala ang kalusugan ng ating mga anak. Pabakunahan na natin sila bago pa lumalaganap ng husto ang outbreak ng tigdas,” Gordon advised. “Let us learn from the mistakes on Dengvaxia, but let us not use that issue to disregard the vaccines in the EPI (Expanded Program on Immunization). Vaccines included in the EPI are safe.”
The Senator issued the advisory after visiting measles patients confined at the San Lazaro Hospital (SLH) in Manila after the Senate adjourned plenary session late Wednesday night, assuring pateints that the Red Cross is closely coordinating with the Department of Health (DOH) in providing assistance relevant to the surge of patients due to the measles outbreak.
Sen. Gordon affirmed that the Red Cross is “ready to provide medical interventions, including the establishment of a 100-bed emergency medical unit (EMU) and welfare desks at the SLH.” adding that the PRC is likewise ready to provide blankets and hygiene kits to “uplift the dignity of the patients and parents currently staying at the hospital.”
He added: “We need to work together to assist the families affected by the measles outbreak. When we visited the SLH, we saw two or three children sharing one bed with parents also sharing the space. What was usually a room for two or three patients now accommodate up to 10 children.”
The Senator reported that “even the hospital hallways are now being used.”
At the same time, Gordon confirmed that the Red Cross is offering to put up the emergency medical unit, an outdoor hospital setup, to serve as an extension ward to address the overflow of patients.
Moreover, Sen. Gordon instructed PRC’s different chapters to conduct community mobilization to raise awareness on measles and its prevention measures after the DOH raised the red flag for measles in other regions of Luzon, Central and Eastern Visayas in addition to yesterday’s outbreak declaration in the National Capital Region.
He noted that measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a paramyxovirus. It is transferred from person-to-person by sneezing, coughing, and close personal contact. Its signs and symptoms include cough, runny nose, red eyes/conjunctivitis, fever, skin rashes lasting for more than 3 days. Gordon warned that the disease’s complications included diarrhea, middle ear infection, pneumonia (infection of the lungs), encephalitis (swelling of the brain), malnutrition, blindness which may lead to death.