BACOLOD City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod urged parents and caregivers to support the massive measles immunization campaign in the city.
It approved a resolution backing up the vaccination program following the declaration of a measles outbreak in Western Visayas.
Based on the records the City Health Office (CHO) released last week, Bacolod has 53 cases of suspected measles from January to Feb. 10.
Resolution proponent Councilor Em Ang said 50 percent of those with suspected measles in the city were children aged three months old to 5 years old, citing CHO records.
Ang stressed that measles is a preventable disease, adding that “immunization is still the main action point in controlling and eradicating the spread of its virus.”
The CHO is now conducting “enhanced catch-up immunization” for children aged 1 to 59 months old.
The goal is to reach the 100-percent target immunization rate in Bacolod, Ang said.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that remains to be a cause of death among young children globally despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine, according to the World Health Organization.
It is transmitted through droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of infected persons.
Initial symptoms – which usually appear 10 to 12 days after exposure to the virus – include high fever, a runny nose, bloodshot eyes, tiny white spots on the inside of the mouth, and rash usually on the face and upper neck./PN
