Yearender : Surge of measles, rubella; mpox arrives in 2024

MANILA, Philippines —  The Department of Health (DOH), during the early part of the year, recorded increasing cases of measles and rubella (MR) in the country.

In February, the DOH noted that all regions, except for Bicol and Central Visayas, had increasing MR cases.

According to the DOH, a total of 569 measles and rubella cases were recorded nationwide.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, in particular, suffered from a measles outbreak wherein out of the 2,600 measles cases in the country, more than 1,400 cases were recorded in BARMM in March.

The DOH immediately employed a non-selective immunization strategy to help contain the measles outbreak in the region.

DOH also ordered five million doses of measles vaccine as part of its intensified campaign to address the increasing cases of measles.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa announced the DOH even put up a national public health emergency operations center to address the increasing cases of measles in the country.

“Code Blue (alert) has been practiced in the DOH central office since March 20, which signals intensified activities to mitigate the spread of the virus through vaccination, micronutrient supplementation, community engagement, and risk communication,” he said.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It spreads from infected individuals through the air, especially through coughing or sneezing.

It affects all age groups, but is more common in children.

The country also recorded increasing pertussis cases from January to March this year, totaling 1,112 cases.

The health department noted that in 2022, only two pertussis cases were recorded and in 2023, there were only 23.

According to the DOH, the increase in cases of pertussis is due to the lack of routine immunization, especially among children, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pertussis or whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial respiratory infection that causes influenza-like symptoms of mild fever, colds and coughs seven to 10 days after exposure.

To address this, the DOH ordered pentavalent vaccines which can protect children not only against pertussis, but also against diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenza type B.

In May, the DOH noted a decline in measles-rubella cases, reporting only five deaths.

As to measles cases in BARMM, the outbreak response immunization resulted in lower case counts.

The DOH also noted that pertussis cases in the country are also on a downward trend by this time.

DOH eventually declared the deactivation of Code Blue Alert due to the continuous decrease in measles and pertussis cases in the country.

Latest data from the DOH showed a total of 4,040 cases of MR as of Dec. 14. The total cases increased by 1.5 times from the 2,556 reported cases in the same period last year.

The department said the measles outbreak in BARMM had contributed to the increase in the nationwide measles count.

As to pertussis, the DOH reported a total of 4,518 cases as of Dec. 14. This is almost six times higher than the 760 cases logged in the same period last year.

‘Bakuna Eskwela’

In order to provide protection to more students against vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and rubella, the DOH and the Department of Education (DepEd) launched the “Bakuna Eskwela” school-based immunization (SBI) program on Oct. 7.

The immunization program, suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic due to mobility restrictions, resumed at full capacity following the issuance of DOH Department Memorandum 2024-0250 supported by DepEd Memorandum 2024-03-06789.

The vaccination campaign, with a total budget allocation of P853 million, aims to protect school-age children against measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria (TD), and human papillomavirus (HPV).

The target was for 3.8 million public school students enrolled in Grades 1 and 7 to receive MR and TD vaccines, and another 973,930 female Grade 4 students in selected public schools for the HPV vaccine that protects against cervical cancer.

Latest data released by the DOH showed that under the SBI, a total of 2,049,760 grade school students were vaccinated with MR vaccines.

Of the number, 1,110,698 (67.63 percent of the target) are Grade 1 students, and 939,062 (59.92 percent) are Grade 7 students.

As for TD vaccination, 1,106,389 (67.37 percent) Grade 1 students and 937,056 (59.75 percent) Grade 7 students received the vaccines.

Meanwhile, there were 505,010 (64.48 percent) Grade 4 female students that were vaccinated with HPV vaccines.

Public health emergency

In August, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox or mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa a global emergency, with cases confirmed among children and adults.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier announced that the mpox outbreaks were a public health emergency, with more than 500 deaths. It also issued a call for international help to stop the spread of the virus.

The DOH then advised the public not to panic but should stay alert following the WHO declaration.

In total, 52 mpox cases have now been detected in the country, the DOH announced on Dec. 17.

Herbosa said that 33 or a majority of the cases came from the National Capital Region, followed by Calabarzon with 13 and Central Luzon with three cases.

Meanwhile, Cagayan Valley had two cases and Central Visayas recorded only one case.

Of these cases, one died, but the DOH clarified that the cause of death was due to a comorbidity and not mpox.

The DOH chief said 47 of the cases (70 percent) are male and five are female with ages ranging from as young as six months up to 66 years old.

Thirty percent are people living with HIV.