ILOILO City – Forty percent of measles cases in Western Visayas since Jan.1 this year involved children, data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed.
DOH Region 6 recorded 1,621 measles cases – with six deaths – as of March 28.
The most affected age groups were the following:
* one to five years old – 340 cases or 20.97 percent
* less than nine months – 326 cases or 20.11 percent
Because of this, said Dr. Mary Jane Roches Juanico, DOH-6 medical officer III, the regional health office is focusing its measles vaccination on children from six to 59 months old or those below five years old.
Of the 1,621 measles cases, 749 46.21 percent were not immunized against the illness.
According to Juanico, of the target 595,023 for immunization under DOH-6’s Supplemental Immunization Activity, 328,056 children or 55 percent were already reached out since the vaccination started following the declaration of measles outbreak on Feb. 7.
Meanwhile, in the immunization drive targeting Grade 7 students, Juanico said 36,610 or 49 percent of the target 75,347 were already reached out.
For the target Grade 1 pupils, on the other hand, 68,871 or 69 percent of the target 99,634 children were successfully vaccinated.
DOH data showed that the recorded the cases so far this year were 1,589 percent higher than the cases from Jan. 1 to March 28 last year (96).
Negros Occidental remains having the most number of cases at 588 with four deaths; Iloilo, 312; Antique, 270 with one death; Bacolod City, 164; Aklan, 114; Iloilo City, 77; Capiz, 75 with one death; Guimaras, 17; and others, 24./PN
