Parents urged to have kids immunized for measles

MANILA, Philippines — Parents should not be afraid to have their children immunized for measles, Malacañang said yesterday, as the Department of Health (DOH) embarks on a vaccination drive later this month to avert a possible outbreak of the disease next year.

“The message of the President to parents is ‘do not be afraid of the vaccine.’ The vaccine against measles is one of the oldest,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a press briefing. “Why expose our beloved children to risks when we have a tried and proven vaccine against it?”

Roque said the vaccine against measles has been used for some time and has been proven safe.

“We understand your fear during the time of COVID-19 because many spread risks because of other vaccines. But the (vaccine against) measles has been used for a long time so you have nothing to be afraid of,” he said.

Fears about the safety of immunization have been attributed to the risks tied to the anti-dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia.

The P3.5-billion Dengvaxia project, implemented in schools nationwide during the time of former president Benigno Aquino III, stirred controversy after the vaccine might have caused greater health risks to students who never had any strain of dengue fever before.

Wilda Silva, program manager of DOH’s national immunization program, said more than 2.4 million children under five years old are susceptible to measles infection this year.

She said the mass immunization campaign, scheduled to begin on Oct. 26, would avert another outbreak at a time when the Philippines is battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, a total of 48,525 cases of measles were recorded in the country, the DOH said.

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