MEASLES UPDATE. Jane Michelle Raagas, Nurse V of the Department of Health in Central Visayas, gives an update on the measles outbreak in the region. (Photo by Luel Galarpe)
CEBU CITY – The number of deaths due to the measles outbreak in Central Visayas is now pegged at nine, covering the period from January 1-March 12, the Department of Health Regional Office here said Tuesday.
Jane Michelle Raagas, Nurse V of the DOH Central Visayas Center for Health Development, told the Philippine News Agency that the number of measles cases in the region increased by 5.9 percent last week.
“As of March 12, we now have 898 cases with nine fatalities recorded. The latest recorded death was that of an 11-month-old baby girl here in Cebu City,” she said.
The latest victim died of multiple organ failure due to complication of measles at one of the hospitals here in Cebu City, Raagas noted.
The other recorded deaths were two in Cebu City and one each in Lapu-Lapu City, Carcar City and Consolacion, Moalboal, San Francisco (Camotes Island), and Pinamungajan towns.
Raagas said the DOH-7 has deployed more teams to the different local government units in the region to intensify their monitoring and conduct of their Outbreak Response Immunization activities.
“Hopefully, we can vaccinate 90 percent of our 371,000 target this month with our intensified anti-measles campaigns and activities in the barangays region-wide,” she said. (PNA)
