Maguindanao measles cases alarm health officials
Breaking News • 02:10 AM Fri Sep 5, 2014
1,009
By:
Edwin Fernandez
Photo courtesyand US embassy
COTABATO CITY (Sept
4/NDBC) – A top Health official in Maguindanao today expressed alarm over the rising
cases of measles in the province this year with nine fatalities due to
complications already recorded.
Dr. Tahir
Sulaik, Maguindanao health chief, raised his fear as the provincial health
office launched the anti-measles, anti-polio mass immunization in Maguindanao’s
46 municipalities.
From January
to August this year alone, Maguindanao reported 519 measles cases with nine
fatalities, way higher as compared to last year with only 100 cases.
This is very
alarming, the statistics should not reached this far because this diseases can
be avoided,” Sulaik told reporters during the launching of mass immunization Shariff
Aguak Wednesday.
In Maguindanao’s
36 towns, Datu Odin Sinsuat recorded the highest measles cases with 105
followed by Shariff Aguak with 81, Parang (57) and Sultan Kudarat (34).
Leading the
launching of mass immunization, Sulaik said the provinces aims to have zero
measles cases starting next year.
He admitted
that health workers cannot do it alone, establishing zero measles cases without
the parents’ active participation.
Rain or
shine, we have measles cases, so something must be done and we are doing it
now,” Sulaik said in the vernacular.
Dr. Kadil
Sinolinding, health secretary of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM), said even one case of measles reported in Maguindanao is already
considered by health authorities as outbreak.”
We consider a
single case of measles as outbreak because this is very contagious,”
Sinolinding said.
A measles
outbreak was declared early this year in Maguindanao following the death of
about nine children. (NDBC)