Sunday, October 21, 2007 No cases yet, but DOH asks Cebu: Watch out for measles
CEBU is still measles-free but this is not enough reason to be complacent against the highly contagious disease.
From January to September this year, the Department of Health (DOH) has recorded 101 cases of measles in the entire country.
The number is already up from the target limit of no more than 85 cases for the entire year, assuming a population of 85 million.
In just two months—August and September—the recorded number of cases has also doubled from just 50 from January to July.
Among the areas with confirmed cases of measles are Metro Manila, Bulacan, Zamboanga City and Sulu.
“The concern is that the cases in Zamboanga may reach Cebu because it is a backdoor neighbor,” said Nayda Bautista, Knock-out Tigdas coordinator of the DOH 7.
One case is enough to cause an outbreak in an entire community. “Measles is a deadly virus...the most infectious virus known to man,” Bautista said.
DOH 7 has enough vaccines to cover vaccinations of at least nine million children between nine months and four years old, through the department’s Knock-out Tigdas program.
The program was launched last Oct. 15 and will run until Nov. 15.
DOH has allotted P107 million for the vaccination, with parallel support from the United Nations Foundation, World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund and others.
DOH aims to immunize 95 percent of its target population against measles.
Symptoms of measles are fever of more than 38 degrees Celsius; rashes that start at the hairline down to the face, neck and the rest of the body; cough; runny nose; and red eyes that can barely tolerate light.
It takes up to 14 days after exposure for the rashes to start. Patients are usually contagious from four days before until four days after the onset of the rash.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 30 million persons become sick with measles every year worldwide.
Anybody who has not already had measles can be infected.
Infants up to four months of age will not be infected if their mother has had measles herself because they will be protected by her antibodies.
But women who plan to get pregnant should make sure that they have anti-measles vaccination unless they have had the disease in the past.
Having measles during a pregnancy can result in an infection of the unborn child or, worse, result in the death of the baby. (JGA)
