Measles up, but execs say no epidemic seen coming

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—Barely a week into the new year, the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital (PPH) in San Carlos City has already treated 14 measles-afflicted patients from different towns in the province.

But Policarpio Manuel, PPH director, described the situation as “not yet alarming,” saying that patients did not come from a single place, which would have been indication of an epidemic.

He said provincial health officials have launched a massive information campaign to prevent the spread of the communicable disease.

“The patients should be isolated. Children with measles should no longer be allowed to go to school,” he said.

From 2 to 26

Records from the Provincial Health Office (PHO) showed that from only two cases in 2012, the number of laboratory-confirmed measles cases in the province shot up to 26 last year.

Twelve of the cases were recorded in November and December. Most of the patients were children aged 1 to 4.

The PHO has also put the towns of Rosales, which had the most measles cases, and seven other towns on its watch list.

Manuel said the PHO has also launched a massive vaccination of children in the province and activated its quick reaction teams.

Myrna Cabotaje, Ilocos regional director of the Department of Health (DOH), said the number of measles cases in the region

increased in 2013, with 198 patients recorded, as compared with only 33 cases in 2012.

95-percent target

DOH records, however, showed a higher number of measles patients in Pangasinan last year at 117. La Union had 63 cases; Ilocos Sur, 16; and Ilocos Norte, two.

The DOH in the region recently conducted a vaccination drive among children, aged nine months to five years, who missed their antimeasles shots.

Cabotaje said a 95-percent immunization coverage among children in a given community would stop the virus from spreading.

In the Cordillera region, the DOH reported 53 cases of measles infection in Baguio City and the provinces of Benguet, Ifugao and Kalinga in 2013.

Baguio cases

Alexei Marrero, coordinator for measles prevention of DOH Cordillera, said six suspected measles cases were recorded in Baguio in the first week of January.

He said the DOH has not declared an outbreak of the disease but described the increase in cases as alarming.

A group of militants has blamed the health department for the measles outbreak. A recent report said stocks of measles vaccines were unused and spoiled in government stock rooms. Gabriel Cardinoza, Yolanda Sotelo and Desiree Caluza, Inquirer Northern Luzon