THE Provincial Health Office (PHO) of Negros Occidental reported five measles-related fatalities since January of this year.
Based on PHO’s latest record from June 15, two of the deaths are from Escalante City, while the cities of Bago, Sagay, and Talisay each recorded one fatality.
Records also show that the number of cases has reached 772, compared to only 43 in the same period of last year, an increase of almost 1,700 percent.
San Carlos City currently has the most number of cases with 93.
The PHO’s report also noted that most of the patients were children aged between one and four years old, with 57 percent of the patients not undergoing prior vaccination.
The provincial government had already approved a resolution supporting the implementation of measles quick response activities to address the measles outbreak earlier this year.
According to the resolution, the Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) for the Western Visayas issued an advisory calling on the need to interrupt transmission of measles, stressing the necessity for “catch-up immunizations” and to strengthen measles surveillance advocacy. (TDE)