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Measles outbreak kills 2 in Mati City village

By Che Palicte

August 25, 2019, 6:09 pm

<p><strong>IMMUNIZATION.</strong> Mati City Health Office personnel conduct house-to-house immunization in Purok Gemelina, Barangay Don Salvador Lopez, Mati City on Friday (Aug. 23, 2019), following the death of two kids due to measles. <em>(Photo courtesy of Mati CIO)</em></p>

IMMUNIZATION. Mati City Health Office personnel conduct house-to-house immunization in Purok Gemelina, Barangay Don Salvador Lopez, Mati City on Friday (Aug. 23, 2019), following the death of two kids due to measles. (Photo courtesy of Mati CIO)

DAVAO CITY -- A measles outbreak reported in a barangay in Mati City, Davao Oriental left two one-year old kids dead, the city information office said Saturday.

In a statement from the Mati City information Office (CIO), Purok Gemelina in Barangay Don Salvador Lopez recorded 24 measles cases which infected individuals wherein two kids did not survive.

A report from the City Health Office (CHO) showed that the measles infection reportedly started on the fourth week of July and of the 24 infected, only two were admitted at the hospital.

The CHO stated in their report that there are about 5,000 individuals living in the said barangay. About 483 are residing in Purok Gemelina where about 78 of the residents belong to a religious group which is said to be against seeking medical treatment of any kind.

Of the 24 cases, 22 are said to be members of the said group.

In an interview on Sunday, Ben Tesiorna, city information officer, said the local government unit conducted its immunization against measles to affected residents in that barangay on Friday.

However, majority of the members of the said religious group refused to get immunized, according to Tesiorna, because it is against their belief.

“There is a plan to declare a state of emergency in the barangay level if they continue to refuse to get immunized. This would prevent the infected person from going out of their village to prevent the spread of the disease,” Tesiorna told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

Health authorities continue to monitor the affected area to prevent the infection from spreading.

Data from the Department of Health in Region 11 (DOH 11), Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, revealed that a total of 74 suspected measles (clinically-diagnosed) based on signs and symptoms and five laboratory confirmed cases were recorded in Mati City from July 21 to August 8.

Measles is a childhood infection caused by a virus. Also called rubeola, measles can be serious and even fatal for small children.

While death rates have been falling worldwide as more children receive the measles vaccine, the disease still kills more than 100,000 people a year worldwide, most under the age of five. (PNA)

 

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