Measles outbreak declared in Maguindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines  – The health department of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao declared on Tuesday a measles outbreak in Maguindanao and launched an inquiry on why field officials  failed to disclose the 37 cases from January to April this year.

Kadil Sinolinding Jr., ARMM’s regional health secretary, announced over Catholic station dxMS here that 37 Maguindanao residents had been afflicted with measles from January to April this year, but no report about it ever reached the regional government.

“I have learned from a fellow physician that for April (2014) alone, there were 12 measles cases in the province,” Sinolinding told dxMS via mobile phone Tuesday morning.

Sinolinding said the measles cases were reported directly to certain entities of the national government, ignoring regional communication protocols.

“We shall also investigate on why this was not brought to the attention of the regional government,” he said.

Maguindanao is one of the five component provinces of ARMM, which also covers Lanao del Sur, also in mainland Mindanao, and the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

ARMM Regional Executive Secretary Laisa Alamia told reporters the region’s Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Relief Team (HEART) will initiate a separate verification of the reported measles cases in Maguindanao. - John Unson