QC extends aid to measles victims

The Quezon City government has extended financial assistance to six families affected by measles in Sitio Ruby, Barangay East Fairview.

City social services chief Teresa Mariano on orders of Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., distributed P3,000 to each family to cover burial expenses for three children and hospitals bills for eight others being treated

Those who died from the disease were 10-month old Edu Castillo, Ronel Riparip, 2, and John Rey Balando, 2.

Of the six, the Balando family was the most severely affected with five other members contracting the disease.

The mayor has ordered the city social services department to ensure that affected families receive proper medical care and assistance.

The city health department, headed by Dr. Ma. Paz Ugalde, has advised residents to take the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the disease.

Ugaldo earlier told The STAR that the affected families live in crowded shanties. Also, none of the parents were not able to bring their children for immunization to the barangay health centers.

To prevent the spread of the disease the city health department will be conducting a house-to-house immunization in the affected barangay.

The Quezon City health department is also set to conduct a house-to-house vaccination drive in Sitio Rubi to prevent possible outbreak of measles following reports that at least seven children had been affected in the said locality.

Quezon City health officer Dr. Paz Ugalde said the house-to-house vaccination was ordered by Belmonte after one of the affected children died six hours after being rushed to the Far Easter University Hospital (FEU) last week.

"Most residents in the barangay failed to avail of services provided at health centers, which is why they will bring the needed medical assistance to them," she said. "We will be conducting house-to-house vaccination and launch an information campaign on the importance of cleanliness in the households."

She clarified that the cases cannot be considered an outbreak because of the small number of persons affected and being confined to a certain area.

Except in Barangay Rubi, there have been no other reported cases of measles in other Quezon City barangays.

Councilor Ramon Medalla has deployed a monitoring team to help health authorities.

"So far there is no outbreak of measles, dengue and other disease in my area of jurisdiction," Medalla told The STAR.

Earlier, Belmonte ordered a barangay-wide cleanup operations to prevent the outbreak of disease such as dengue and typhoid fever.

The city government has also launched the Sagip Batis program to clean up the city creeks and other waterways.