A woman holds her son while the infant is being given a measles shot at the F. Lanuza Health Center on Alvarez Street, Sta. Cruz, Manila last Monday. (Photo by LINUS GUARDIAN ESCANDOR II)

Measles cases in the country have increased to 669 after 99 more patients were admitted in various hospitals around the country.

This prompted the Department of Health (DoH) to ask local governments in institutionalizing a measles vaccination program to augment vaccination drives by the national government The figure for measles was recorded from January 1 to February 13 and is 70 percent higher than the previous year, Health Secretary Esperanza I. Cabral said.

“We are worried whenever we find a single case of disease that is preventable through vaccination and we are analyzing what we can do to stop it from spreading,” Cabral said.

Majority of the patients are individuals aged 20 years old and below and were found in the areas of Carlos Palanca, San Miguel, Parola, Tondo, and Sta. Cruz in Manila; Parañaque, Tarlac City, Masbate, Antipolo, Lambunao in Iloilo, Balabagan in Lanao del Sur, and San Francisco in Quezon province.

Health workers are now actively locating and vaccinating children who have not had anti-measles immunization when they were young.

The DoH conducts routine vaccination programs and many of its programs for school-aged children are done in tandem with the Education Department.

Since most of the patients are young, the health department suspects that the patients might have missed their vaccination schedules as immunization against the measles typically begins by nine months of age up to one year.

Measles is transmitted via respiratory droplets released through coughing or sneezing because the virus that causes the disease resides in the nose and throat of the infected person.

It is characterized by skin rashes and flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough and runny nose.

But Cabral said a person's immunity against the measles virus is generally on a long-term basis that could extend up to a whole lifetime. This means those who previously had  measles may no longer suffer from it for a second time except when they have a weak immune system as in the case of the aged population.

“They are also prone to chickenpox or fungal illness that can be worse, instead of manifesting only in the groin or in the foot, it can also manifest in the whole body if the patient is immunocompromised.”

The health chief also warned against other diseases during the summer.

“We should also watch out for sore eyes. We should keep ourselves and our surroundings clean. If you have a neighbor who has chickenpox, do not go near him or her so you can avoid acquiring the disease.”

Cabral said measles usually peaks during the summer as children have more time for play which also presents a more opportune time for the virus to spread.

“It is not the hot weather that contributes to the spread of the disease. It is because more children can play outside their homes and if there is one infected child, he or she could infect the others who were not vaccinated against measles.”