MARAWI CITY (PIA) -- The Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) in Lanao del Sur announced that 171,315 out of the targeted 271,425 children in the province have been vaccinated against measles since the commencement of their Measles Outbreak Response Immunization (MORI) campaign.

“The peak of measles cases happened in October-November 2023. This outbreak happened because of the decline of our immunization rate here in Lanao del Sur,” said IPHO chief Dr. Alinader D. Minalang.

Minalang further stated that previous challenges like the Marawi siege, the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Dengvaxia scare, and misinformation about vaccination resulted in the said decline.

Minalang further stated that previous challenges like the Marawi siege, the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Dengvaxia scare, and misinformation about vaccination resulted in the said decline.

Lanao del Sur experienced its initial measles case last year. According to the World Health Organization(WHO) and the Department of Health (DOH) guidelines, a solitary confirmed case of measles constitutes an outbreak. This situation necessitated the implementation of mass immunization for all designated populations in the region.

In this campaign, the DOH recommended a nonselective approach. With this, the IPHOs in the region are reaching out to children aged six months to nine years, regardless of their vaccination status. The only exception is for those who got vaccinated within four weeks before the campaign began.

Although the campaign has now reached 63 percent of its target population in the 39 municipalities of the province, health workers of the IPHO still call for the strengthened cooperation of all stakeholders to prevent further outbreaks of vaccine-preventable life-threatening diseases.

 “Ang bakuna natin ay tested, safe, at wala dapat ipangamba ang ating mga kababayan. For more than 40 years ay ginagamit na natin ‘yan sa Pilipinas at dito sa Lanao del Sur. Yung side effect gaya ng lagnat ay panandalian lamang at ito ay sign na nagwowork ang vaccine. Mas magkakaroon ng severe complications ang mga batang unvaccinated kagaya ng pneumonia at encephalitis” Minalang emphasized.

 (Our vaccine is tested, safe, and our fellow citizens have nothing to worry about. For more than 40 years, we've been using it in the Philippines and here in Lanao del Sur. Side effects like fever are only temporary and are a sign that the vaccine is working. Unvaccinated children are more likely to develop severe complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis.)

To date, the outbreak in the province has already resulted in the deaths of 13 unvaccinated children, with a total of 1,300 reported measles cases.

The IPHO, with the support of its development partners and local government units, is still conducting house-to-house visitations and awareness campaigns to end the measles outbreak. (BIO,PIA Region 10-Lanao del Sur)