By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco, Joel R. San Juan & Jasper Emmanuel Y. Arcalas
Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III announced on Thursday an outbreak of measles in other areas in Luzon, Central and Eastern Visayas.
“We are expanding the outbreak from Metro Manila to the other regions, as cases have increased in the past weeks, and to strengthen surveillance of new cases and alert mothers and caregivers to be more vigilant,” Duque said.
This developed as President Duterte directed concerned government offices, particularly the Department of Health (DOH), to conduct a “massive” information and immunization campaign, amid the outbreak.
As of January 26, 2019, the DOH Epidemiology Bureau reported that the number of measles cases in other regions, namely, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Bicol, have shown an increasing trend.
Validated data from Calabarzon also showed there were 575 cases with nine deaths, or a 2,538-percent increase as compared to 21 cases in 2018; 441 cases in NCR with five deaths, or a 1,125-percent increase compared to 36 cases in 2018; 192 cases in Region 3 with four deaths, or a 500-percent increase compared to 32 cases last year;
Region 6 with 104 cases and three deaths, or a 550-percent increase compared to 16 cases in 2018; and Region 7 with 71 cases with one death, or a 3,450-percent increase compared to two cases in 2018.
Data also showed 70 cases with no deaths in Mimaropa, or a 3,400-percent increase compared to two cases in 2018; Region 1 with 64 cases with two deaths, or a 220-percent increase compared to 20 cases in 2018; Region 10 with 60 cases with no deaths reported, or a 4-percent decrease compared to 63 cases in 2018; Region 8 with 54 cases and one death, or a 5,300-percent increase compared to one case in 2018, Region 12 with 43 cases with no deaths, or a 34-percent decrease compared to 66 cases in 2018.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus. 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 three days.
Just doing her job
Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra on Thursday said the effort of Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida Rueda-Acosta to hold liable the individuals allegedly responsible for the death of several children inoculated with the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia should not be attributed to the measles outbreak.
Guevarra said Acosta was just doing her duty to help the families for the supposed victims in their search of justice.
Acosta has led the filing of 32 criminal complaints before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against former and current health officials, led by former DOH Secretary Janette Garin.
Garin, along with other health officials, including incumbent Health Secretary Duque and executives of Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur and distributor Zuellig Pharma, are facing reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and other criminal offenses in connection with the Dengvaxia mess.
“PAO chief Acosta is just doing her job and certainly does not intend to scare the public about the possible negative effects of vaccination in general,” Guevarra said.
“That’s why the DOH, with the President’s support, will launch a vigorous campaign to inform the people about the necessity of vaccination to prevent common illnesses, such as flu and measles,” he added.
Earlier, Duque attributed to Acosta’s “baseless claims and accusations” with regard to Dengvaxia vaccine the decline in public confidence on the government’s vaccination program, which may have resulted to the current measles outbreak.
Prior to that, a group called Doctors for Public Welfare, led by former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral, called on the DOJ to order the PAO to stop the autopsies and to leave the matter of determining the cause of death of the children vaccinated with Dengvaxia to expert forensic pathologists.
However, Acosta maintained that she was just helping the families of the victims and that her pronouncements were not meant to scare the public.
In line with this, Guevarra said he has directed the prosecutors handling the Dengvaxia-related cases with dispatch.
“I have already directed the Dengvaxia investigating panels to resolve the cases this month,” the DOJ chief said.
Guevarra’s directive came a day after the House Committees
on Good Government and Public Accountability and Health recommended the filing
of graft, technical malversation and civil charges against former President
Benigno S. Aquino III, former Budget Secretary Butch Abad, Garin and several
other officials over the controversial dengue
vaccination program.
Garin and the other respondents were accused of negligence through “arbitrarily, maliciously and deliberate failure to inform the Dengvaxia recipients and their parents/families of the dangers and risks related to Dengvaxia and to obtain their informed consent.”
It also cited the failure of the DOH under Garin to conduct proper screening of Dengvaxia recipients and to implement an active and aggressive monitoring and surveillance over the recipients considering the risks posed by the vaccine to those who had no history of dengue.
The DOH had earlier suspended the implementation of the controversial P3.5-billion Dengvaxia vaccine project of the DOJ that reportedly poses health risks to children already injected but without history of the disease.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano