MANILA, Philippines - Senator Nancy Binay will file a resolution this week seeking a full review of the government's immunization programs after the Department of Health (DOH) recently declared a measles outbreak in some Metro Manila areas.
Binay believes that the DOH may have failed to meet its target in providing the needed immunization for children and adults since measles should have been eliminated in 2008 or 10 years after the government's "Ligtas Tigdas" measles immunization program was launched.
The senator said "somewhere along the way, someone had abandoned" the program, which involves mass vaccination of children aged nine months to 15 years to achieve a zero-measles target in 2008.
"The billion peso question here is, 'Anyare?' What happened to the vaccines the government bought in the last 15 years? Nagamit ba ang mga ito? Nag-expire na lang ba? Ilang mga bata ang napabakunahan? Bakit walang follow-up? Sino bang mga ahensya ang katulong ng DOH dito?" Binay said in a statement over the weekend.
The senator wants to find out if the DOH exerted all efforts to coordinate and implement its anti-measles program down to the household level.
Binay said the DOH had more than enough budget for their immunization programs - P2 billion and P2.85 billion in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
The DOH declared the outbreak in Quiapo, Sampaloc, Tondo, Binondo, Sta. Cruz, Port Area and Sta. Mesa in Manila; Dagat-Dagatan and Bagong Barrio in Caloocan City; Talon 5, Talon 2, and Pamplona Uno in Las Piñas; and Longos and Tonsuya in Malabon.
Outbreaks were also monitored in Alabang and Putatan in Muntinlupa; North Bay Boulevard South in Navotas; Moonwalk and Don Bosco in Parañaque; Bagong Tanyag in Taguig, and Ugong in Valenzuela.
Read: DOH: Measles outbreak in MM
According to the DOH's National Epidemiology Center (NEC), there were 1,724 measles cases, including 21 deaths from Jan. 1 to Dec. 14, 2013.
Metro Manila had the highest number of cases at 744, followed by Southern Luzon with 436 and Western Visayas with 282 cases.
In his Twitter account, Health Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag said the number of measle cases is on the rise because those who had or will have the disease were those who missed their vaccination during their eligible years.
He added that vaccine failures may also occur.
Why are #measles cases on the rise? because those who got/will get sick are those who missed their vaccination during their eligible years
— Doc Eric Tayag (@erictayagSays) Enero 4, 2014 @tinabannn #measles vaccine has 90% efficacy after one dose and 100% after second dose; vaccine failures may occur despite full vaccination
— Doc Eric Tayag (@erictayagSays) Enero 4, 2014 @dohgovph meets #NCR city health officers and civil society tomorrow to step up efforts in #measles vaccination TARGET: NOT ONE LESS
— Doc Eric Tayag (@erictayagSays) Enero 5, 2014 To intensify measles vaccination in the metropolis and to stop the outbreak, the DOH would meet with local government health officials and civil society groups in Metro Manila, Tayag said.
In previous reports, Tayag also said that the DOH is also studying the possibility that avirus from abroad is causing the increase in measles cases in the country.