MANILA, Philippines — Children continue to contract measles as the Department of Health (DOH) has recorded over 1,400 new cases in only two days nationwide.

Based on a report of the DOH Epidemiology Bureau, there were 1,411 new cases recorded from March 1 to 2, bringing the number to 16,349 since Jan. 1. The death toll from measles stands at 261.

This is higher than the 3,374 cases documented during the same period in 2018 with no deaths noted, the DOH said.

Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said three regions where measles outbreaks were declared last month still account for most of the cases.

The Calabarzon region –comprised of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon provinces – has the most number of deaths with 78 and is followed closely by the National Capital Region (NCR) with 76. Central Luzon accounted for 36 deaths.

Also with death incidence records are Regions 8 (22 cases) and 1 (10 cases).

Of the 14,411 cases recorded so far, Calabarzon accounted for 3,977; followed by NCR with 3,617; Central Luzon with 2,331; Region 6 with 800; Region 8 with 776; Region 10 with 746; Region 7 with 649; Region 1 with 580 and Region 5 with 580.

The DOH data also showed that 9,975 of those cases are people not vaccinated against measles and at least 495 people who received only one dose of the vaccine.

Lulu Bravo, Philippine Foundation for Vaccination executive director, noted that the country would have been declared free from measles in 2009 if not for the cases that resurfaced in 2010.

“After the measles campaign in 2003 and 2004 where more than five million children were vaccinated, the measles cases disappeared and no deaths were reported starting 2005 until 2010,” she said.

It also had a resurgence after Super Typhoon Yolanda hit the country in 2013, especially among unvaccinated children in disaster areas.

Bravo recalled that a “massive measles campaign” was undertaken by the DOH in September 2014 and “by 2015, we had measles under control again with the incidence down to only about a hundred a year.”

She also said that the cases started to increase again in 2018. Prior to this, the cases were seen mostly in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and other Mindanao areas classified as “conflict areas” and with very low measles vaccine coverage.

Meanwhile, DOH Region 1 senior health program officer John Lee Gacusan noted at least seven deaths, all from Pangasinan province, from Jan. 1 to Feb. 11 this year.

“Statistics show that measles cases in Region 1 increased by 281.5 percent this year compared to the 56 cases recorded in the same period last year. Pangasinan has the highest number of cases at 201; La Union, 16; Ilocos Sur, two and Ilocos Norte with only one case,” he said.

He added that the DOH-1 only hit a 73-percent immunization rate, “which is still lower than the 95 percent goal.”

The low turnout was attributed to the fear of parents of losing their children because of the Dengvaxia issue.

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 and skin rashes lasting more than three days.

Gacusan said measles is preventable and encouraged parents with children aged six months to 59 months to avail themselves of free supplemental vaccination offered at public health centers.

“Most of the victims of measles this year were not vaccinated, so we appeal to all, especially to mothers, to let their children avail of the vaccine which has been proven effective and safe,” he stressed.

At present, a total of 72,000 doses of measles vaccine are available in Region 1. – With Jun Elias