BUENAVISTA, Guimaras – Mayor Eugenio Reyes urged parents here to have their children vaccinated against measles, rubella and polio.
The Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 is kicking off its “supplement immunization activity” against these diseases today, Feb. 1.
In Executive Order No. 006, Series of 2021 issued last week, Reyes affirmed the partnership of DOH and the municipal government for this immunization activity.
The targets are children nine months to less than five years old for measles and rubella vaccination and children under five years old for polio vaccination.
“(The) supplemental mass immunization for measles, rubella and polio (aims) to increase herd immunity,” according to Reyes.
Despite the ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic, he said, a “high-quality immunization activity is urgently needed to avert possible measles outbreak in 2021 and half the ongoing polio recirculation in communities.”
The immunization “shall be conducted with due regard to the observance of the minimum health standards and protocols,” he added.
The immunization will be conducted in barangay health stations and the municipal health station.
Buenavista has 36 barangays.
Measles is a childhood infection caused by a virus. It can be serious and even fatal for small children.
Measles’ signs and symptoms appear around 10 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. These include fever, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, inflamed eyes (conjunctivitis), tiny white spots with bluish-white centers on a red background found inside the mouth on the inner lining of the cheek — also called Koplik’s spots – and a skin rash made up of large, flat blotches that often flow into one another.
Rubella is a contagious viral infection best known by its distinctive red rash. While this infection may cause mild symptoms or even no symptoms in most people, it can cause serious problems for unborn babies whose mothers become infected during pregnancy.
Rubella isn’t the same as measles but the two illnesses share some symptoms, including the red rash. It is caused by a different virus than measles, and rubella isn’t as infectious or as severe as measles.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a disabling disease caused by the poliovirus. Its most severe form causes nerve injury leading to paralysis, difficulty breathing and sometimes death.
Signs and symptoms, which can last up to 10 days, include fever, sore throat, headache, vomiting, fatigue, back pain or stiffness, neck pain or stiffness, pain or stiffness in the arms or legs, and muscle weakness or tenderness./PN
