BAGUIO City Mayor Mauricio Domogan is urging parents to have their children vaccinated against measles.

Domogan made the plea amidst the rising cases of measles in the country, in a bid to prevent the same phenomenon in the city.

The mayor said there is nothing to fear as the measles vaccine is a tried and tested vaccine.

"This has long been proven effective. Do not be afraid," Domogan said.

The chief executive said the city must not wait for the situation to worsen.

Doctor Amelita Pangilinan, Department of Health (DOH)-Cordillera officer-in-charge, said Baguio recorded 56 cases of measles while Benguet reported six from January to February this year.

DOH–CAR assured there is enough supply of anti-measles vaccines amid an increase in cases in Baguio City and Benguet Province.

Pangilinan said measles is a virus from the Paramyxoviridae family and can be passed directly through contact and through the air. It infects the respiratory tract.

The DOH said unvaccinated young children are at highest risk of the disease and its complications which include severe diarrhea, pneumonia, blindness, and even death.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised Filipino parents to have their children vaccinated against measles, as the number of cases of the disease increased by an alarming 367 percent.

WHO said there are 17,298 reported measles cases in the Philippines from January to November 2018 alone, a huge leap from the 3,706 reported measles cases for the same period in 2017. (With a report from Jonathan Llanes)