DOH-Bicol hunting more measles patients for immunization
By Rey M. Nasol
DARAGA, Albay – The Department of Health in Bicol region based here is scouting cases of measles in all corners of the region to determine the actual number of cases aside from the reported outbreak in the island province of Masbate.
15 new cases were reported in a latest outbreak in the island province of Masbate and the health authorities are racing with time to prevent further ballooning of its number.
DOH-Bicol regional information officer Jaime Guerrero said that the agency told local health units to search and trace children 9-months old to 59 months old, whom they have missed vaccinating during their routine immunization schedules and have them immunized at once.
The appeal was made as a result of the measles outbreak in the municipality of Mobo and Masbate City.
“A team from the DOH-Center for Health Division (CHD) Bicol had been dispatched to assist local health authorities to combat an on-going measles outbreak in identified areas in the province of Masbate bringing along additional logistics and supplies for mass vaccination of the exposed population,” Dr. Nestor F. Santiago, regional director of DOH-Bicol said Thursday.
The DOH has dispatched 3,000 vials of anti-measles vaccines syringes and Vitamin A capsules as initial logistics assistance for the province. Contents of one vial can vaccinate 18 persons.
Regional Nurse coordinator Nancy Pastrana of the DOH-Bicol’s expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) added that supplemental immunization activities should be undertaken even in those areas without cases yet.
“Whether or not there are cases, health workers are advised to review the immunization status of their target clients and if necessary, to do a house-to-house operation if only to identify those missed children,” Pastrana said.
Pastrana said that chidren should have at least two measles vaccines before they reach the age of 24 months, or subsequently thereafter, to have a higher immunity against the disease.
Dr. Carla Ante-Orozco, head of the Family and Child Health Program Cluster of the DOH-CHD Bicol clarified that of the 57 clinically-confirmed cases detected, 15 were confirmed through laboratory with blood samples. Five of which were from the city of Masbate and the remaining 10 were from Mobo town, but no death was reported so far.
Orozco said that “It is observed that persons affected were among the older-age bracket, most specially the adults, with a median age of 16 years old. Only one case among those below five years old was detected.”
Orozco explained that “87 percent of these adults never had a single dose of anti-measles vaccine during their childhood. Or even if they had, these people did not develop any immunity against the disease.”
Information officer Jaime Guerrero said Thursday that these are the reasons why the DOH had conducted various vaccination campaigns, such as follow-through campaign, mopping-up operations, and booster doses, aside from and after the regular immunizations received by the child before reaching 12 months old.
Guerrero said that these developments highlighted the importance of having children fully immunized upon reaching the age of one year.
Santiago also said that local governments should support the mop-up operations in areas where there are no cases yet to avoid an outbreak. (RMN)
