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Friday, December 05, 2003
326T kids in Cordillera up for measles vaccination
THE Department of Health (DOH) regional office reported Thursday that around 326,281 children aged nine months and below six years old in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) will undergo measles vaccination starting February 2004.
This developed as the DOH-CAR Disease and Control Prevention Division (DCPD) reported earlier that many children in the region have developed resistance to the first and second line of drugs for measles.
Bony Bengwayan, DOH-CAR information officer, said the estimated target population for measles vaccination includes 47,938 children in Abra, 21,411 in Apayao, 78,357 in Benguet, 38,604 in Ifugao, 39,205 in Kalinga, 32,607 in Mt. Province and 68,159 in Baguio.
Dr. Antonio Bautista, DCPD chief, earlier reported that high cases of measles were mostly reported from the provinces of Kalinga and Apayao.
Ahead of the region-wide vaccination, Bengwayan said members and officers of the Association of Government Information Officers in the Cordillera (Asgioco) started their information drive on the dreaded disease.
Bengwayan said Asgioco started an information campaign through the media last Nov. 13 on how barangay health workers could help the government arrest the increasing trend of measles cases in the region.
Activities included the distribution of information materials to respective agencies, discussion of measles vaccination through ASGIOCO members' radio and television programs and visitation, aside from the health centers.
Meanwhile, records from the DOH central office revealed that measles is the 10th leading illness nationwide with an approximate annual mortality rate of 3,000 children. The DOH-CAR is still consolidating measles-related mortality in the region.
Health officials described measles as a highly contagious disease, easily and rapidly transmitted through air or direct contact.
Bengwayan said complications of this disease include pneumonia, encephalitis, blindness, deafness, ear infection, diarrhea, dehydration and sub-acute sclerosing panencephalitis - a late complication wherein the child may be bed-ridden for the rest of his life. Diane Guinatang, Onofre Simbre II and Leih Mabelle Vidal/UP Baguio Interns
(December 5, 2003 issue)
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