The health workers of IPHO-Lanao del Sur conduct mass immunization campaign to end measles outbreak in the province. (Photo courtesy of IPHO-Lanao del Sur)
LANAO DEL SUR—Following the measles outbreak in this province, the Ministry of Heath’s (MOH) Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) reported that out of 271, 425 target, a total of 171, 315 children are now vaccinated against the deadly virus since the launch of their special campaign.
“The peak of measles cases happened in October-November 2023. This outbreak happened because of the decline of our immunization rate here in Lanao del Sur”, said Dr. Alinader D. Minalang, Provincial Health Officer II, IPHO-LDS.
Minalang further stated that previous challenges like the Marawi Siege, the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Dengvaxia scare, and misinformation about vaccination resulted in the said decline.
“Last year, nagkaroon tayo ng unang kaso ng measles dito sa Lanao del Sur. As per guideline ng World Health Organization (WHO) at ng Department of Health (DOH), ang isang kaso ng confirmed measles ay considered outbreak,” said Dr. Nihaya Macasindil, chief of staff of IPHO-LDS.
[Last year, we had our first case of measles here in Lanao del Sur. According to the guidelines of the WHO and the Department of Health (DOH), a single confirmed case of measles is considered an outbreak.]
“The outbreak prompted the need for mass immunization of all target populations in the region”, Dr. Macasindil added.
In this campaign, the DOH recommended a nonselective approach. With this, the IPHOs in the region are reaching out to children aged 6 months to 9 years, regardless of their vaccination status. The only exception is for those who got vaccinated within 4 weeks before the campaign began.
Although the campaign has now reached 63 percent of its target population in the 39 municipalities of the province, the health workers of IPHO-LDS still call for the strengthened cooperation of all stakeholders to prevent further outbreaks of vaccine-preventable life-threatening diseases.
“Ang bakuna natin ay tested, safe, at wala dapat ipangamba ang ating mga kababayan. For more than 40 years ay ginagamit na natin ‘yan sa Pilipinas at dito sa Lanao del Sur. Yung side effect gaya ng lagnat ay panandalian lamang at ito ay sign na nagwowork ang vaccine. Mas magkakaroon ng severe complications ang mga batang unvaccinated kagaya ng pneumonia at encephalitis” Dr. Minalang emphasized.
[“Our vaccine is tested, safe, and our fellow citizens have nothing to worry about. For more than 40 years, we’ve been using it in the Philippines and here in Lanao del Sur. Side effects like fever are only temporary and are a sign that the vaccine is working. Unvaccinated children are more likely to develop severe complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis.]
As of writing, the outbreak in the province has resulted in the deaths of 13 unvaccinated children, with a total of 1,300 reported measles cases.
The IPHO-LDS, with the support of its development partners and local government units, is still conducting house-to-house visitations and awareness campaigns to end the measles outbreak. (Norjana Malawi/BIO)
