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[av_heading heading=’Region 6 health office issues measles alert’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RESEL JOY TIANERO
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Sunday, April 9, 2017
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ILOILO City – An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, according to the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6. It urged parents to have their children immunized against measles.
The regional office has recorded four measles cases so far this year but it is not leaving anything to chance.
Children are susceptible to measles, according to Renalyn Reyes of DOH-6’s family health cluster.
Measles is caused by a virus in the paramyxovirus family and it is normally passed through direct contact and through the air. The virus infects the respiratory tract then spreads throughout the body.
Signs and symptoms include cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes, sore throat, fever and a red, blotchy skin rash.
Reyes said early detection and treatment of measles can prevent an outbreak.
Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children globally even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Most measles-related deaths are caused by complications associated with the disease. Complications are more common in children under the age of five, or adults over the age of 20.
WHO said the most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis (an infection that causes brain swelling), severe diarrhea and related dehydration, ear infections, or severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia.
Severe measles is more likely among poorly nourished young children, especially those with insufficient vitamin A, or whose immune systems have been weakened by other diseases, WHO added./PN
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